Newnan-Coweta Magazine, January/February 2011

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MAGAZINE

A Times-Herald Publication

Cowetans Collectors, drivers, ladies’ campers & more

& Their Wheels

A beloved musician takes a look back

Enter our Photo Contest and get published!

January/February 2011 | $3.95

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CELEBRATING SUCCESS in Cancer Treatment Years ago, the Radiation Oncology Services – Newnan (ROS) physicians developed a unique clinical program still in active use today: New Patient Tumor Conference (NPTC). NPTC provides a weekly forum for treatment planning and peer review. All new ROS-Newnan patients have the benefit of this built in second opinion.

During NPTC, the treating physician presents new cases to our team of eleven ROS physicians for their input and approval of the treatment plan. Through a collaborative effort, NPTC ensures that all patients receive treatment consistent with both ROS and national standards.

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We deliver quality cancer care at all levels throughout a patient’s ROSNewnan experience. In addition, we provide technology and expertise in an environment of compassionate care. It is through the efforts of many that the fear associated with cancer can be replaced with understanding, acceptance and hope.

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On Our Blog newnancowetamagazine.blogspot.com

MAGAZINE

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Established 1995 A publication of The Times-Herald

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Web extras you’ll find only online.

Look for the computer icon throughout every issue to lead you to the special content at newnancowetamagazine.blogspot.com.

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FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION, call 770.683.6397 or e-mail colleen@newnan.com.

Newnan-Coweta Magazine is published bi-monthly by The Times-Herald, Inc., 16 Jefferson St., Newnan, GA 30263.

Subscriptions: Newnan-Coweta Magazine is distributed in home-delivery copies of The Times-Herald and at businesses and offices throughout Coweta County.

Individual mailed subscriptions are also available for $23.75 in Coweta County, $30.00 outside Coweta County. To subscribe, call 770.304.3373.

Submissions: We welcome submissions. Query letters and published clips may be addressed to the Editor, Newnan-Coweta Magazine at P.O. Box 1052, Newnan, Georgia 30264.

On the Web: www.newnancowetamagazine.com © 2010 by The Newnan Times-Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

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This classic car was exhibited at a past Coweta County car show. Held for entertainment as well as for fundraising purposes, car shows are popular locally.

– Photo courtesy of The Times-Herald 8

NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

WINNER OF FIVE 2009 GAMMA AWARDS (for issues published in 2008) Gold Award for Best Series, Silver Award for Best Single Issue, Bronze Award for Best Single Cover, Bronze Award for Best Profile, Bronze for General Excellence

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26 20 34

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

14 THE MICHELANGELO OF

58 LOCAL HERITAGE

MOTORCARS

Sign and auto painter Mike Maloy has earned acclaim for his work turning routine rides into rolling works of art.

20 CLASSIC CAR COLLECTORS Randall and Bonnie Streetman have owned 108 vehicles – and they’re not about to promise they’ll stop collecting now.

26 RACING THAT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

Father and son racers Steven and Ethan Endicott share a passion for the race track.

34 SISTERS ON THE FLY Meet some women who really know how to let loose and have fun around the campfire!

Learn about some of the famous cars that have rolled through Coweta’s history.

62 SADDLE UP Meet horse-crazy 9-year-old Mayson Glover and her horse, Cowboy’s Classic.

66 COWETA COOKS Amelia Adams bakes bread inspired by “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

70 THE ARTS Priscilla Stone, well-known music educator and pianist, reflects on a beloved career.

74 TINA’S TIPS Our local DIY-er shares how to get cozy this winter by adding a fireplace to your bedroom.

44 THE RACING RIDLEYS Buck Ridley comes from a long line of race lovers and carries on the family tradition.

50 TEENS AND THEIR CARS No one forgets their first set of wheels, and Coweta teens tell about theirs.

54 COWETA LOVES ITS CAR SHOWS

Car shows have become a popular way for Cowetans to raise money for a good cause.

10 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

In every issue 12 EDITOR’S LETTER 80 THE BOOKSHELF 81 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 82 I AM COWETA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 | 10

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{

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From the Editor }

Rolling ahead ... and a look back few months back, I was parking my car at Ashley Park and ended up next to one of the most unique looking vehicles I’ve seen in a while. It was sort of a truck, I guess, painted bright red, and it had this tarp or cover thingie over the back, and it was just incredibly cool looking. I stole a glance at the driver, and it was a woman, which surprised me. Soon I had cars on the brain.

I found myself musically harking back to the eighties when Gary Numan sang these immortal words: “Here in my car, I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors. It’s the only way to live, in cars …”

Now, the problem with examining old eighties lyrics too closely is that you suddenly find yourself questioning a few things. Locked inside your car is the only way to live? Here in your car you feel safest of all? Really? Where exactly do you live, dude?

You’ll be happy to know I soon got off that track and started thinking about cars outside the musical realm. In this issue our writers have pulled together some fun features about Cowetans and their cars, and even if you don’t speak “car” (and I don’t), I think you’ll enjoy reading about those who paint, race, collect, show and appreciate their cars. And for anyone

who thinks vehicle lust is only for the guys, I would direct you to page 34 and some ladies whose tricked-out wheels are guaranteed to make you smile!

• • • Looking backward for just a moment, I want to say thanks again to the many wonderful readers who helped us wind up 2010 with our Tea for Toys at Holly Cottage Tearoom on Dec. 2. Chef Linda Rivers and her incredible staff served up lots of delicious treats, and Art Director Deberah Williams and I got to meet so many lovely ladies who came out for this worthy cause. We also are indebted to our friend Frances Smith, who made repeated trips to our office to load up all those Christmas toys for distribution to local foster children. Since many of you have already asked: Yes, we plan to make this an annual event!

‘Til next time,

Angela McRae, Editor angela@newnan.com

From left: Dawn Montgomery and Bonnie J. DeJoie at the tea; Alyson Putnam wins the huge gift basket donated by Holly Cottage Tearoom; and ladies enjoy each other’s company during the Tea for Toys.

12 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

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Growing

HEALTHY FAMILIES in Coweta County Introducing our new medical office in Newnan Good health is blooming in your neighborhood with more convenient options for care in Coweta County.

At Kaiser Permanente, we’re committed to helping Coweta County cultivate better health every day. That’s why we’re excited to announce the opening of our new Newnan Medical Office.

Kaiser Permanente Newnan Medical Office 205 Newnan Crossing Bypass Newnan, GA 30263

Here you’ll find a wide range of highquality care for you and your family— all at this one convenient location. The new facility will offer adult medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, pharmacy, X-ray, and lab services.

For more information about our services, or to learn about becoming a Kaiser Permanente member, go to kp.org or call (404) 261-2590. For TTY service for the deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired, call 1-800-255-0056.

kp.org Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., Nine Piedmont Center, 3495 Piedmont Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30305 (404) 364-7000 AD-100607 11/10 Nine Piedmont Center • 3495 Piedmont Road, NE • Atlanta, GA 30305 • (404) 364-7000 ©2010 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc.

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By Alex McRae | Photos by Bob Fraley

This smokin’ hot paint job is one Mike Maloy did for his own personal truck.

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is work doesn’t hang in Atlanta’s High Museum or the fabled Louvre in Paris, but thousands of auto enthusiasts consider Coweta’s Mike Maloy the Michelangelo of motorcars, the man whose deft touch with a paint sprayer or pinstriping brush can turn a routine ride into a rolling work of art.

The easy-going Maloy says he’s lucky he stumbled across something he was good at.

“I’ve always just thought it was fun,” Maloy says. “I’ve never had any formal training, so I was as surprised as anyone that things turned out this well.”

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When he started high school in Reading, Mass., Maloy was riding a Vespa scooter. His world changed forever when he picked up his first California hot rod magazine.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw,” he says. “There were all these beautiful cars with lavish paint jobs and I fell in love with it.”

Maloy bought some paint and brushes and got to work on his two-wheeler. In no time, Maloy’s Vespa had earned him dozens of admirers and admission into the Orientals Hot Rod Club.

“I didn’t even have a car, but the guys in the Orientals really liked my painting,” he says. “For a high school kid, it was nice to get that kind of public approval.”

When he wasn’t pinstriping his scooter, Maloy used the hood of a 1940 Ford as a “canvas,” painting it again and again with different designs and showing his work to potential customers.

The marketing strategy paid off when a neighborhood boy paid Maloy to paint up his 1950 Oldsmobile fastback.

“That was a big moment,” he says. “I felt like I was on to something.”

Maloy finally bought a 1953 Ford two-door sedan. After giving the car a cosmetic face lift, he decided to replace the motor with something a little hotter. He quickly realized that his artistic talent exceeded his under-the-hood skills.

“That first hot rod enterprise didn’t work out so well,” he says. “I never got that motor put in. It taught me a lot.”

Maloy quickly put that early setback behind him and spent every spare moment working on cars in an unheated Massachusetts barn.

“In the winter, it was awful,” 16 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

he says. “Laying under those cars and watching my breath fog up was discouraging. But if you love cars, that’s what you do.”

By the time he finished high school, Maloy was spraying paint and patching dings and dents like a pro.

“Bondo and canned spray paint were the two turning points in my hot rod career,” he says.

In 1961 Maloy joined the Navy to be trained as a machinist. He wound up repairing plumbing and fixing leaks.

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In 2006 and 2007, Mike Maloy’s 1950 Oldsmobile Club Sedan took “Best of Class” honors in the World of Wheels Custom Auto Show. Maloy, opposite, says he intends to enter the car again this year with a new engine and fresh paint job.

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Mike Maloy says he’ll be painting signs and autos for as long as he can. At top is a detail from his own truck, and above at right is his truck’s interior.

“Not exactly what I was promised,” he says.

Maloy spent most of his Navy tour in Charleston, S.C. and loved the weather so much that after his 18 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

discharge, he hung around and sold European sports cars. Eventually, Maloy returned to the Boston area to work for Eastern Airlines. A single New England winter was enough to

make Maloy long for sultry southern skies and he jumped at the chance to transfer to Miami.

When he wasn’t at the airport, Maloy prowled south Florida used

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car lots and convinced several dealers their beaters might move faster with a few pinstripes painted on the side.

“It made an old Chevy look like a Bel-Air,” he says. “People snapped them up and I got lots of business.”

After transferring to Greensboro, N.C. in 1982, Maloy continued painting cars and learned commercial sign painting and lettering. He soon had all the work he could handle.

Eastern sent Maloy to Atlanta in 1989 and folded two years later.

The part-time sign and auto painting business became a career, and it wasn’t long before Maloy was earning not just a living, but a bigtime reputation in the custom car world.

In 2006 and 2007 Maloy entered his 1950 Oldsmobile Club Sedan in the World of Wheels Custom Auto Show at the Georgia World Congress Center. Maloy’s car swept “Best of Class” honors both years.

Maloy now stays so busy with paying customers he can’t spend as much time as he’d like on his own car. But he says when the 2011 World of Wheels show opens in Atlanta this month, his 1950 Olds will be back in competition, sporting a new engine and fresh paint job.

“I can’t wait,” he says. “It’s always a blast to hang out with car people at those events.”

Maloy says he can’t imagine doing anything else and has no plans to park his paintbrush anytime soon.

“I’ve been fortunate,” he says.

“I know some guys in the sign business who say they can’t wait to retire. Not me. I’m going to do this as long as I can.” NCM

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By Kenneth Wilson | Photos by Bob Fraley

Randall Streetman and his wife Bonnie own three Ford Fairlanes, including this red 1966 XL model.

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andall Streetman reaches through the back door of the garage and touches a button. A motor groans to life and the large metal garage door lifts revealing four covered cars. One at a time, he pulls back the covers revealing three 1966 Ford Fairlanes – a red XL, black GT and blue GTA – one of each trim package offered that year. Although every bit as glamorous, a 1965 fastback Mustang stands out like Neil Young at a Crosby, Stills and Nash concert. And behind the garage, a 1933 Oldsmobile with “suicide” doors, rear passenger doors hinged in the back, sits under the carport, sans getaway driver.

Streetman and his wife Bonnie own Stairway to Heaven Antique Mall and collect a lot of things: primitive antiques, bottles and period furniture. But everything started with cars. Since buying their first car

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This 1933 Oldsmobile features “suicide” doors, where the rear door was hinged on the edge closest to the rear of the vehicle.

Bonnie Streetman saw a convertible like this 1966 Ford Fairlane XL at a car show and told her husband, “That’s what I want.” Years later they spotted this car parked on a street in Little Five Points and bought it.

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in 1966, the Streetmans have owned 108 vehicles. Their first car was a 1966 Fairlane, purchased new from Beaudry Ford in Atlanta, so it’s no coincidence they now own three.

Streetman says, “I guess I’ve always liked Fairlanes because it was the first car I ever had.”

In the 1960s, second generation Ford Fairlanes (1966-1967) were considered “mid-sized” cars.

However, that description is a little deceiving considering the car’s wheelbase is only one inch shorter than Lincoln Town Cars built today.

Standing in front of the red XL Streetman says, “We were at a car show and Bonnie saw a red Fairlane convertible and said, ‘That’s what I want.’” Years later, they saw this one parked on the street in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood and knocked on doors until they found the owner. The red XL, with its black convertible roof, was built for style, not speed, and the jet-black interior boldly compliments the car’s McIntosh apple color.

The red XL’s evil twin sits nearby.

Streetman points to the black GT and says, “That’s the first one I got out of all of these.” The black GT is the extreme opposite of the red XL. Not only is it a sinister shade of black, including the quilted interior, but it WAS built for speed. A 390cubic-inch big-block motor with a four-barrel carburetor fills the engine compartment while the “top-loader” four-speed transmission puts that power to work. From the factory, it produced 335 horsepower. However, this car has been modified to exceed that, and Streetman refuses all requests to test drive it on this day.

The black GT has lots in common with its other sibling, the Blue GTA. From the factory, the only difference between the two cars lies with the transmissions. The blue

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Whether it is in our Assisted Living or Secured Memory Care, Savannah Court exudes hospitality. The community is elegant, yet warm and comfortable, with many common areas for the residents to enjoy. It is truly our pleasure to serve our residents, their family members and guests each day.“Please contact me directly and it would be my pleasure to treat you to lunch and provide you with a personal tour,” says Brenda Mitchell, Executive Director.

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The Streetmans’ vintage cars include, front to back, a 1965 Mustang Fastback, a 1966 Ford Fairlane GT and a 1933 Oldsmobile.

This 1966 Ford Fairlane GT sports a quilted interior.

24 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

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GTA has a SportShift Cruise-o-Matic automatic transmission for those who don’t like to shift gears. The blue GTA also has special meaning to Streetman. The Fairlane he bought new in 1966 was a blue, albeit lighter, GTA. Then there is the Dynasty Green 1965 Mustang Fastback. It is a rare example of a Fastback with a 6cylinder engine. Over the years, most of these cars have been altered to accept bigger motors, but Streetman likes the original configuration. He says, “Everybody has tried to get me to put a high performance engine in it, but I want to keep it totally original.� This is the only vehicle in the garage that can keep its passengers cool during the summer months. Rarely seen in 1965, air conditioning was a luxury option.

Although Streetman purchased

the Fairlanes and Mustang years ago, the 1933 Oldsmobile is a recent acquisition. It hasn’t been restored, but numerous upgrades were done by the previous owner including modern disc brakes and a Corvette engine.

Streetman thinks it makes a good “cruising around� car.

Together, the Streetmans regularly take trips to the Mississippi coast. Each year in October, the Streetmans attend the week-long Cruisin’ The Coast car show. The term “car show� isn’t an entirely accurate description – the event is more of a car festival. Attendees drive the length of the coast stopping in coastal towns for car shows and swap meets in Ocean Springs, Biloxi, D’Iberville, Gulfport, Bay St. Louis and Waveland.

Streetman’s love of cars is arguably genetic. He recalls several

childhood memories that revolve around the cars owned by his family.

His grandfather kept both a 1939 and a 1940 Ford coupe in a chicken coop. Streetman recalls, “We used to sneak in there and play, acting like we were driving.� His sister continues to love one car. She still drives the 1969 Mustang Mach 1 she special ordered from the dealership. She is 65, and it’s the only car she has ever owned. And, when Streetman needs help restoring a car, he gets help from his family.

Streetman carefully stretches the covers back over each car, flips the light switch off, and touches the button that controls the door. Asked if he plans to buy any more cars, he chuckles and says, “I don’t know,� with a laugh. “I’ll say no, but I’ve said that I don’t know how many times before.� NCM

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By Alex McRae | Photos by Bob Fraley

Young racing enthusiast Ethan Endicott and his father, Steven Endicott, share a love for the race track.

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teven Endicott won’t say he was born to race, but he admits his first baby blanket was almost a checkered flag.

Just hours after Steven was born, his dad, Ken, loaded up his competition go-kart, headed to the track and won the Illinois Mid-Season Championship. Then he went back to the hospital to visit his wife, Mary Ann, and newborn son. He took his trophy with him.

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At home in Newnan, Ethan Endicott and dad Steven look over a go-kart in the shop. Below are photos of Ethan in a recent competition.

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home a national title. Steven kept his resurrect his racing career, too, and “Let’s just say Mom wasn’t over the next several years, father and foot on the gas until the early 1990s, surprised,� Steven says. when a serious wreck The family soon convinced him to put moved to Newnan racing on hold and and Ken parked his build his own business, racing dreams while When Ethan was born in 2003, Drywall Interiors. he built a business By 2000, Steven and raised a family.

Steven was determined not to was ready to race Steven saw his again. This time he hit father’s go-karts push his son into racing. Ethan the stock car dirt track gathering dust but took gymnastics, played baseball circuit, adding even didn’t give them much more trophies to an thought until he was and rode horses like his mom ... already impressive 14 and saw a huge gocollection. kart track during a When Ethan was Florida vacation. born in 2003, Steven Steven worked in was determined not to push his son son often raced against each other. the family business and had saved a into racing. Ethan took gymnastics, Steven piled up wins at race considerable sum. Once he saw the played baseball and rode horses like tracks across Georgia and karts, he knew how he wanted to his mom, Ruthie, an interior designer. neighboring states. In 1988 he spend it. After six weeks of non-stop One of Ethan’s best friends and earned the Georgia state begging, Ken relented and Steven baseball teammates is Brysen championship. A year later he took started racing. Ken decided to

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“I don’t know of a better way for a father and son to spend time together,” says Steven Endicott, at left, of enjoying racing along with his son, Ethan. Below at left is the trailer used to haul father and son vehicles to the track, and at right are some of the racing awards lining the walls of the automotive shop.

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Duncan, whose father, Chad, is Steven’s longtime friend and racing buddy. When he isn’t playing ball, Brysen races go-karts. One day, he invited Ethan to come along. Once was enough.

“He wouldn’t stop talking about it,” Steven says. “I knew what was coming.”

Ethan started racing in 2009 at age 6. The early results were exactly what Steven expected. “He tore up some equipment and rolled a handful of times and smashed up some karts,” Steven says. “But he learned some lessons, too.”

Steven made sure those lessons extended far beyond racing.

“My dad and I were competitors, but we became closer when we raced,” Steven says. “I wanted the same thing for Ethan. I don’t know of a better way for a father and son to spend time together.”

In 2010, Ethan wasn’t just ready to race. He was ready to win. He won a fistful of races and tied Steven’s record of six wins in a row on his way to earning the points championship in his category.

The victories were sweet, but the road got bumpy at times. A bad wreck during one race left Ethan’s ride in ruins and sent the boy tumbling down the track. Steven knew such wrecks could cause damage beyond bumps and bruises.

“You can learn a lot getting banged up,” Steven says, “but some people get so scared they never race again. I didn’t want that to happen.”

As soon as he was sure Ethan’s injuries weren’t serious, Steven told Ethan he had to get back on the track again that night, even if he only ran half a lap at half speed and didn’t finish.

Going through the motions wasn’t on Ethan’s mind. He jumped into a backup kart and won second

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Like his father and grandfather before him, Ethan Endicott of Newnan enjoys the racing life.

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in the next race. The next night, he earned another trophy. “He learned a lot that weekend,�

Steven says. “Mostly that if you want to race, you have to keep racing, even when things are tough.�

The 2011 season is just around the next turn. Steven plans to race his dirt cars. Ethan can’t wait to fire up his kart again. “I love it,� Ethan says. “When I get out there and I’m going real fast I don’t even feel like I’m breathing.�

Steven and Ethan will usually be joined by racing buddies Brysen and

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Chad Duncan. Frequent race track visitors will likely include Chad’s brother Parrish, their father Kenneth and another set of three-generation racers, Pete Weickum, his son Mike and Mike’s son, Hunter. “It’s definitely a family affair,�

Steven says.

Steven or Ethan may not add to their trophy collection in 2011, but Steven says it doesn’t matter. “Winning is nice, and I never have to worry about where my son is on Saturday night, but most of all, we enjoy it,� Steven says. “And that’s really what it’s all about. If you’re not having fun, you’re missing the point.� NCM

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The women of Sisters on the Fly don't just camp — they “glamp.” Glamour camping includes many comfortable accessories such as this antique bed that Sister Anita Wallace has recently begun bringing to campouts. Pictured at McIntosh Reserve are Wallace, Sue Edmonson, Paula Bush, Nan McGuffey and Sharon Robinson.

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By Sarah Fay Campbell | Photos by Bob Fraley

e have more fun than anyone!”

That’s the motto of Sisters on the Fly, a national women-only camping club. And local members take it seriously.

“It is all about having fun and acting silly and just being yourself and having a good time,” said Cowetan Anita Wallace That’s summed up in another motto, “making girls out of women.”

At official Sisters on the Fly camping events, it’s all about the sisters. Men, children and even pets are expressly forbidden.

That’s because Sisters on the Fly is about taking care of yourself – and no one else.

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“It gives women a chance to break away from their normal lifestyle and activities,” said Nan McGuffey of Chattahoochee Hills.

“They’re able to let loose and have fun and get rid of all that stress for a while.”

“When we sit around the campfire with 15 to 20 women exchanging stories – to me, that is what it is all about, the camaraderie,” said Sharon Robinson.

The husbands aren’t totally shut out of course – in fact, they’re quite helpful with trailer repair and restoration. And they brag about it at the annual Mister Sister events, where they are welcome.

Sharon Robinson shows off her newest trailer, the Parisian-themed Shabby Foo Foo. As a mechanic for Delta Airlines, Robinson doesn't get to be girly very often. Robinson started looking for a vintage trailer to restore long before she heard of Sisters on the Fly. She intended to make it a playhouse for her grandchildren. "It's still a playhouse – only it's my playhouse," she says.

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Anita Wallace has three trailers but this one, Ida Clair, is her favorite. Wallace was the first Sister in the South. "I'd camped my whole life, but never without my family," Wallace said. Being with the Sisters "lets you know you can do things on your own and pull your own trailer and hitch it up." The sign opposite at right embodies the spirit of Sisters on the Fly – taking care of yourself.

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Children, however, are never allowed. “We’re an embarrassment to them anyway,� said Wallace.

The sisters do their glamping – that’s “glamour camping� – in customized vintage campers, each with its own theme and name. Each sister also has a number, assigned

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when she joins the group.

Having a trailer is not a requirement – some members stay in cabins; others have tents they decorate with a theme.

But “once you come to an event or two, you’re going to want one,� said Wallace, Sister 440. “The bug will bite you,� said

Robinson. “They become addicting.�

She’s had five, but now is down to two. “When you see one, you just can’t pass it up,� she said.

Susan Edmonson, McGuffey’s sister and, like Wallace, a school bus driver, saw her trailer on her route one day, in someone’s back yard. “It was a mess,� said Edmonson, Sister 1,000.

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Sisters Sue Edmonson and Nan McGuffey share their trailer, Hot To Trot, a 1964 Road Runner.

They've camped all their lives but, in Sisters on the Fly, "you learn things – like don't take your safety chains off if you're not set," Edmonson says. And when a Sister accomplishes something like backing a trailer into a tight spot, there's such a sense of joy on that Sister's face, McGuffey says.

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“We knock on strangers’ doors all the time,� said Robinson. She paid just $250 for her first trailer; most people end up spending a few thousand when all is said and done.

Trailers don’t have to be vintage or small, but they almost always are.

The smaller campers are easier for women to hook up, pull, and back out on their own.

Wallace has three trailers right now – Five O’Clock Somewhere, the beach trailer, cowgirl-themed Buffalo Gal, and her favorite, Ida Clair, a cozy cabin.

The campers always draw interest, and not just in the campgrounds. “We get pulled off the highways by people wanting to know what we are doing,� Robinson said.

The local bunch has taken advantage of that interest and hosted trailer tours, with proceeds benefiting charities.

Wallace organized a tour at McIntosh Reserve which benefited the Whitesburg Care Fund and One Roof. “People came just like a home tour,� she said. And they often pick up new members. That’s how Paula Bush got involved.

The southern contingent is organizing a large tour for their April trip to Tybee Island, which will benefit Tybee’s local theater.

There will be “over 80 sisters from all over the U.S.,� said Wallace. “There’s someone from California, and one that is shipping her trailer from Washington,� she said.

Many Sisters are also pretty crafty, so the tour will also be a bit of a craft fair. One Sister is making a quilt that will be raffled to raise money for breast cancer research.

When they call it glamour camping, they’re not kidding.

At many major events, there are catered meals and hired bands.

Nan McGuffey, Paula Bush and Sue Edmonson lounge by the fire at McIntosh Reserve in Whitesburg. "We just plain love to camp," Bush says.

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Paula Bush's trailer Queen Bee has a tea station and a modern air conditioner – with the vent cleverly hidden by aprons strung along the back. Bush used to have "Honky Tonk Angel," complete with an anatomically correct drawing of Dolly Parton, but her husband talked her into changing it. "He thought that was too provocative … he said 'you don't need to be going down the road like that,'" she says.

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Maybe even a masseuse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had some pretty lavish spreads,â&#x20AC;? said Wallace. And even at an impromptu campout, there is a cocktail party.

At the national convention in Louisiana last April, there was a Scarlett Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hara party and a voodoo party, said Wallace. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We like to dress up and act like children,â&#x20AC;? she said.

And thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than just camping. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do horseback riding, ziplining,â&#x20AC;? Robinson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You pick and choose what you want to do. If you want to stay at your camper all day and read, you do.â&#x20AC;?

Some events are much less structured, but either way, evening is social time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Women really like the campfire talk,â&#x20AC;? said Wallace.

Sisters come from all backgrounds, ranging from lawyers and GBI agents to bus drivers and nurses.

And ages range from the early 30s all the way to 93.

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Some of the older women had quit camping after their husbands died, said Wallace. Being with Sisters on the Fly â&#x20AC;&#x153;enables you to keep going. When you travel with a group, there is safety there,â&#x20AC;? she said.

And lots of fellowship. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You meet friends all over the U.S. One of my best friends is in Louisiana and she comes up all the time,â&#x20AC;? Wallace said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have friendships where you can really travel all over the U.S. and be able to visit with sisters along the way.â&#x20AC;?

For Robinson, â&#x20AC;&#x153;this is such a cool way to preserve history.â&#x20AC;?

Robinson said she used to wonder why men would spend so much time working on their cars. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now I get it, now that I restore campers,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a hobby; it becomes a lifestyle.â&#x20AC;? NCM

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By Jeremy Williams | Photos by Jeffrey Leo and courtesy of the Ridley family

While his racing days are mostly behind him, Buck Ridley – now an official with the World Karting Association – still makes an occasional visit to the Senoia Raceway.

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cceleration is defined as the increase in the rate of speed of an object. Nothing embodies the idea more than your car’s gas pedal. When you press it, not only do you send two thousand pounds of metal lurching forward, but you also get a physiological response. As you press the gas pedal, your pupils dilate, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure goes up slightly.

You might say acceleration is in the blood.

Nothing could be truer for Jacob “Buck” Ridley.

Ridley was born into a racing family. His great-grandfather, J.D. Ridley, started racing cars in the 1950s, sharing the passion with Ridley’s

grandfather, Theo, who in turn passed it to Ridley’s father, Tim. The common denominator was a genetic predisposition for going fast.

The youngest of Tim and Linda Ridley’s three children, Ridley can always remember racing. “My earliest memory is of me sitting in my dad’s lap in the driver’s seat of a race car,” Ridley recalled. “I was making engine noises and turning the steering wheel left and right as hard as I could. I remember my dad laughing so hard I could feel his legs shaking under me.”

Like many boys, Ridley grew up with Boy Scouts and baseball, doing both religiously until age 12 when he found another love. “I started racing in Yard Karts,” Ridley explained. “I placed third in the Coweta Championship my first year.”

“My earliest memory is of me sitting in my dad’s lap in the driver’s seat of a race car,” recalls Buck Ridley, 22, of Sharpsburg. “I was making engine noises and turning the steering wheel left and right as hard as I could.

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Buck Ridley was into cars from a young age, above, but other photos show his progression as he began to race on dirt and asphalt.

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Coming off the successful first year Ridley and his father moved to the Georgia state series. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had to substantially upgrade the kart to compete,â&#x20AC;? he said, but the upgrades were successful and Ridley finished second in the state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The next year we moved up to nationals,â&#x20AC;? Ridley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We upgraded to pro series Go-Karts and raced in the World Karting Association Youth Class circuit.â&#x20AC;?

His first year Ridley ranked 13th nationally on dirt tracks.

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His second year Ridley raced on dirt and asphalt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had three karts and raced from Pennsylvania to Mississippi. We would often leave on Friday night and drive all night to get to a race,â&#x20AC;? Ridley said.

It earned him eighth in the standings for dirt tracks, in the top 20 on asphalt. In his third and final year in this class, he was third nationally on dirt and eighth on asphalt.

Then Ridley moved into the Adult Class of Pro Series racing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Up to that point the karts would go 60 to 70 miles per hour,â&#x20AC;? said Ridley, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but in the Adult Class you were going 110. The karts were

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“My dream was to be a NASCAR driver, but I soon found that it took much more than talent to move on to the next level of racing ...”

— Buck Ridley

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also more sensitive. A slight movement could send you tumbling or into the wall. It was almost like driving with a time bomb strapped to your back.â&#x20AC;? He drove the kart all the way to a second place national points finish. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My dream was to be a NASCAR driver,â&#x20AC;? Ridley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I soon found that it took much more than talent to move on to the next level of racing. It took lots of money.

And even if you spent the money and moved to the next level, you were just one of hundreds trying to make it into those few spots reserved for the top drivers.â&#x20AC;? Believing the financial strain too big, Ridley decided to make a hard right turn.

He joined the Marines.

After his service, Ridley came home and had a decision to make.

Should he return to racing? He

realized that â&#x20AC;&#x153;with the age restrictions and high cost of building cars, it was time to let it go.â&#x20AC;?

But racing wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t through with him.

Soon the World Karting Association called on Ridley, not to race but to officiate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am one of the only officials they have with actual race experience,â&#x20AC;? Ridley said. But his racing days werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t completely through. Occasionally youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find him at the Senoia Raceway racing late model cars with friends. He even goes road racing with his grandfather, who races modified sports cars.

Ridley also gives back to the community by volunteering with the Adventure Crew, a coed arm of Boy Scouts of America. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We take kids out into the woods and teach them camping, hiking and survival skills,â&#x20AC;? Ridley

said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basically much of the same stuff I learned in the Marines.â&#x20AC;?

Ridley has no regrets about how things happened, but when the subject of racing comes up, his passion is unmistakable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is just something about putting on the gloves and helmet and lowering the visor,â&#x20AC;? Ridley said dreamily. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The noise of 30 engines fades away, and you hit the gas. It is like everything is silent. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see anything around me, only the track in front of me, and the line I am going to take. It is like it is all in slow motion, no matter how fast I go everything seems to slow down. It is my happy place.â&#x20AC;?

So next time you find yourself in a traffic jam and the cars finally begin to move, do like Buck Ridley: hit the accelerator and find your happy place. NCM

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By Meredith Leigh Knight | Photos by Bob Fraley

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No matter what make or model, everyone loves their first car. Here’s what a sampling of Coweta teens had to say about their first wheels.

Suzi Laine Ward, 17-year-old junior at East Coweta, 2000 Ford Focus with a polka-dotted car tag on the front “I got my first car this summer before school started. It was an early birthday present. My brother kind of told me about it. I knew my parents were looking around, and my brother told me they were looking at a blue car. Later, I came home from a friend’s house and saw a blue car in the driveway and got really excited and nervous,” Ward said.

Prior to Ward’s “surprise,” she and her mom Marianne shared a car. It was in her mom’s car, ironically, on her mom’s birthday, that Ward was in her first car accident.

“I had never been in one before,” Ward said. “I was in a lot of shock. It was night time and raining, and, fortunately, no other cars were involved, so I was relieved no one was hurt. My parents were very understanding about it. I called my mom and kept apologizing. She told me that cars can be replaced but children can’t.”

After her accident, Ward, who took driver’s education online, was required to attend a driving class.

“I wish I had taken it before I got behind the wheel,” said Ward, who advises other new drivers to follow the speed limit closely and pay attention in driver’s education. “Overall, trust your basic instinct. If it tells you that you can’t make a turn, then you probably shouldn’t.”

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Joe Crain III, 17-year-old senior at Newnan High School, 2002 white Ford F150, special features: CB radio and tool box “I got my first vehicle on my 16th birthday. It’s a 2002 white Ford F150,” Crain said. “I’ve always kind of wanted a truck, but nothing flashy. This one has been great. I love it!”

One of the downsides to it, however, is “it’s a little big.

It came with a factory lift of two inches, so it’s not really as big as some though,” Crain said. “It’s something you have to get used to when parking. It doesn’t turn real sharp, so you have to take it from a wider angle.”

Fortunately, Crain had some practice ahead of time. The truck

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originally belonged to his father.

“I told him I’d like to have one like it, and Dad let me have it and got himself a new one. I got a lot of practice on it,” said Crain, who took driver’s education through Newnan High School. He also credited parents Joe and Sandee Crain for encouraging him as he learned to drive.

Even though Crain said his truck “doesn’t have all the new stuff ” newer models do, and he has to wash it often due to its color, it is still something he plans to stick with.

And though Crain may not have “the new stuff,” he has something

perhaps even cooler installed in his vehicle – a CB radio.

“I’ve always been fascinated with it. I liked the look of it and had some empty space in the truck. They are rarely used today, but I have found a few people who use them and have been able to talk to them,” Crain said.

“I like driving a truck. I like sitting up high. I feel more in control; I can see better. I feel safer in it, and I can see a wide range,” he said. “I think it’s important for new drivers to find a car that they like.

It’s a lot more fun to drive something that you like and are comfortable in.”

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Julia Crouch, 17-year-old senior at Newnan High School, 1998 red Volkswagen Beetle – stick shift with a Life is Good bumper sticker and “Of Montreal” bumper sticker (her favorite band) “I got my car as a Christmas gift when I was in the 10th grade. I was completely surprised. I was 15, so I was not expecting to get a car,” Crouch said. “I was even more surprised when I went outside and discovered it was a stick shift.”

Crouch soon realized why she received the car a year prior to turning 16 – driving it would take some practice.

“My granny actually taught me how to drive it,” laughed Crouch, whose friends are now impressed that she can drive a stick shift. “I learned pretty quickly.”

Crouch described her car as being “cute and in really good condition,” despite her recent run-in with a deer in front of Newnan High School.

“I was going five miles per hour, and it just ran into me,” said Crouch, adding that she was glad her car wasn’t brand new. “It’s a cute car, and I love it.” NCM

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By Elizabeth Melville | Photos courtesy of The Times-Herald

By Alex McRae | Photos by Bob Fraley

Senoia’s Cruisin’ to the Oldies car show attracts car enthusiasts to downtown Senoia each September.

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eople are coming up with innovative ways to raise money for an array of important causes.

Coweta County sees its share of walks, runs, motorcycle rides and the like year-round. Car shows have become an increasingly popular fundraiser.

In the past two years, Coweta County has played host to more than a dozen car shows – some to raise money for people or organizations, and others merely as a source of entertainment for the citizens of this community.

Perhaps one reason car shows have seen such tremendous success is that, for many, owning and restoring one of these cars or trucks is a popular pastime – one that preserves a piece of America’s rich history. Some like to feel the raw horsepower of a high performance automobile on the open road. Others simply enjoy these shows as an opportunity for good, clean family fun – and often for a charitable cause.

You can’t think “car show” and “Coweta” and not remember Chubby Checker’s Cruisin’ the Square car show in November 2009. Checker, at 68, wowed a large, enthusiastic crowd with a highenergy, 90-minute show in downtown Newnan, proving that you’re never too old to do “The Twist.”

Checker brought Cowetans back to a different era – one with classic hot rods, like the ’57 Chevy, Pontiac GTO, Corvettes and Camaros. Proceeds from the 1950s/1960s-themed car show that preceded the concert benefited the Adopt A Soldier program.

Senoia’s annual Cruisin’ to the Oldies car show, which is held in September, has grown into one of the most popular car shows in the area. The sixth annual event, held in 2010, was the biggest ever for Senoia, with more than 280 registered cars.

Show cars filled Main Street, as well as the parking lot on Seavy Street, and volunteers with Senoia’s Downtown Development Authority soon found themselves running out of spots for registered cars. On that particular day, Earl Randall took home the Best in Show award for his 1934 Chevrolet coupe.

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Singer Chubby Checker checks out the Cruisin’ the Square car show in downtown Newnan in November 2009. At left is Linda Kee, Newnan's director of business development, and at right is Mayor Keith Brady.

Jerry Cochran, left, of Adopt A Soldier visits with Lamar Nelms, owner of a 1955 Chevy, one of the cars in the Cruisin’ the Square car show which benefited the Adopt a Soldier program.

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Senoia’s Cruisin’ to the Oldies car show

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Senoiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Cruisinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to the Oldies car show, which is held in September, has grown into one of the most popular car shows in the area.

Senoia is not the only Coweta community that has tried its hand at a car show.

Moreland held its Spring Fling in April 2009, which included a car show. Moreland Elementary Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PTO organized the event, and proceeds helped the school purchase Promethean interactive whiteboards for classrooms.

Newnan High Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Band program held its third annual â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cruisinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for the Catsâ&#x20AC;? car show at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts in May 2010. The benefit helped to defer the great costs incurred by the band program throughout the school year. Participants were treated to performances by the band throughout the day.

The Summit Family YMCA held a Community Fall Festival/Car Show in October 2010. In addition to the impressive display of muscle cars, the free event included a Trunk or Treat, Kids Zumba, live entertainment, food and other activities.

Several local churches have tried their hands at car show fundraisers.

Some of those churches include Moreland United Methodist Church, Sargent Baptist Church and Mt. Gilead United Methodist Church.

Boy Scout Troop 144 sponsored its fourth annual Car and Motorcycle Show in May 2009 at Macedonia Baptist Church.

Residents of Savannah Court Assisted Living in Newnan have been treated to antique car shows. For

a monthly car show held in Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day 2009, residents enjoyed Hogansville, returns every summer to a car show by the Southside Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the delight of car enthusiasts.

Model A Ford Restorers Club.

With no shortage of car shows to Amedisys Home Health and Hospice choose from, classic car aficionados held a car show and ice cream party can turn to The Times-Herald for for residents for Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day 2010.

Several not-for-profit groups have information about upcoming local events. been making use of the popularity of With growing enthusiasm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and car shows to draw a crowd â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and raise perhaps a nostalgia for the simpler money for their cause. times of days gone by â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the car show The American Cancer Society is one event that appears to be held two car shows in Coweta in the continuing full throttle ahead. NCM past year alone to raise money for Relay for Life.

The first was held in spring Discover what it means to escape 2010 at completely with Princess SouthTowne Motors. The second was a benefit car and truck show in July 2010 at Junction Lanes Family Entertainment Center.

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Heritage }

Cars roll through much of Coweta’s past

By W. Winston Skinner

In 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidential vehicle got washed and polished at a service station in Newnan.

turn-of-the-century red Maxwell, a shiny Cadillac from the 1940s, a 1941 Plymouth Deluxe and a 1955 pink-and-black DeSoto – all are vehicles which rolled through Coweta County history, leaving some memories in the tracks left by their tires.

For about half of the county’s history cars were not around. Their arrival changed life permanently.

Cowetans took to driving and riding in cars.

Neighborhoods like Platinum Point in Newnan were built with houses situated away from the street, unlike older neighborhoods with a pedestrian orientation.

There have been sharp-looking autos since soon after “motorized carriages” started rolling off the assembly line. In 1905, Susie Atkinson bought a red Maxwell. Mrs. Atkinson was the widow of W.Y.

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The men at Warren Askew’s service station in Newnan are shown washing President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s car when it came through Newnan on Nov. 19, 1941.

This photo shows Warren Askew’s service station in Newnan as it looked on the day in 1941 that FDR came by for a car wash. (Photos from the collection of Margaret Askew)

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We tend to think of automobiles as just a way to get from here to there, but they also create memories.

Atkinson, a Newnan lawyer who was one of Georgia’s governors before his death at age 44. The widow with six children to support opened a successful insurance business and convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to appoint her as Newnan’s postmaster.

Jim and Sallie Kight left their wedding reception in her grandparents’ 1955 DeSoto. At back is Leonard Hunter.

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Mrs. Atkinson also bought that red car, though descendants have said she was not a very good driver.

Neighborhood mothers reportedly warned their children to keep an eye out for the red automobile.

A car is often the grand prize in a big promotion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for a hole-in-one at a charity golf tournament or a radio quiz game. That idea is nothing new. The Newnan Times was started in 1936 by E. W. Thomasson and his son, James Thomasson. Four years later, the newspaper launched a big subscription drive. People across the county, including Ruth Todd, got busy selling subscriptions. The grand prize for the two top sellers were 1941 Plymouth Deluxe automobiles.

Mrs. Todd won one of those autos, an event remembered by her son, Bill Lowery, who lives near Grantville. A woman from Senoia reportedly won the other car. Mr. Bill is an aficionado both of history and of old cars. He often drives a 1911 model â&#x20AC;&#x201C; purchased by his stepfather â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in parades in Moreland.

Mr. Bill said his family was excited about his mother winning the Plymouth, the first four-door the family had owned. Alas, Mrs. Todd didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t view the car the same way her son did. She immediately decided to trade the Plymouth and the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1936 Buick for a new Buick. Mr. Bill said his mother was allowed to drive the prize car from the newspaper office to R.B. Askewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car dealership. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted them to keep that Plymouth,â&#x20AC;? he said.

About a year later, a car belonging to a New York native arrived in Newnan covered with dust. The 12-cylinder Cadillac belonged to Franklin Delano

and Dad left their 50th wedding Roosevelt, who was on his way to anniversary celebration at the his rural retreat at Warm Springs.

Moreland Mill in it.

There was, however, a problem.

The strongest memory I have of Coweta County was in the midst of it was when my daughter, Sallie, and a major drought, and Newnan had her husband, Jim Kight, left their strict water restrictions in place. wedding reception in it. Jim and Mayor W.S. Askew made an Sallie, suddenly looking so grown up exception for FDR. The event drew a great deal of attention on Nov. 19, it made something cause my eyes to water, raced down the steps at the 1941 as the presidential vehicle got Major Long House and turned to washed and polished. wave as we pelted them with rice.

The car wash took place at a Jim helped Sallie into the car. Then gasoline service station operated by he got in and rode around the Warren Askew on Greenville Street, courthouse â&#x20AC;&#x201C; riding back by to honk near its intersection with Savannah and wave from the pink-and-black Street. A building in walking car before they headed off to begin distance of that spot was for many their new life together. years a farm equipment dealership We tend to think of automobiles operated by my great-uncle, Rhodes as just a way to get from here to Trammell. For years, it was a there, but they also create memories. tradition for the person with the Those memories are the building best car in our family to loan it to blocks of history. NCM someone making a long vacation trip â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or going on a honeymoon.

Uncle Rhodes, being a bachelor and a businessman, often was the person with the Complete Eye Care nicest car, and "NCVMBUPSZ 4VSHFSZ $FOUFS t "FTUIFUJDT that was true when my XXX DBSSPMMUPOFZF DPN t /FXOBO "QQPJOUNFOUT "WBJMBCMF parents married in 1957. He loaned them his John Godard, M.D. 1955 DeSoto ,FJUI #FSSZ . % t +PIO 5IPNBT . % for their wedding trip to Carrollton Location Villa Rica Location Callaway 770-834-1008 770-459-2022 Gardens. My mother SURGERY CENTER AESTHETICS inherited the car VISION SERVICES Cataract Surgery Permanent Hair Reduction Comprehensive Exams and has been Lens Implants Obagi Skin Care Products Glaucoma Screening & Care willing to loan it Refractive Surgery - LASIK Botox and Dermal Fillers Diabetic Eye Disease Glaucoma Laser Surgery Macula Disease for parades in Facial Plastic Surgery Retinal Consultations Luthersville. She

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Up }

Horse Crazy

By Martha A. Woodham | Photos by Bob Fraley

ayson Glover is a cute 9-year-old with a ponytail and a shy smile, a pint-sized cowgirl in jeans and turquoise boots. But when she is preparing to ride her Quarter horse, Cowboy’s Classic, she is all business.

Mayson focuses on brushing Classy and carefully buckling on trendy zebra-striped boots to protect the chestnut mare’s legs and ankles.

Her dad, Buzz Glover, helps her with the heavy Western saddle, but she makes all of the adjustments herself, aligning the pad under the saddle and tightening its two girths.

Mayson then slips the bridle, set with rhinestones, onto Classy’s head, and they are ready to go.

Like many girls her age, Mayson is legitimately horse crazy.

Her room is decorated with horse posters and 95 – she counted ’em – horse figurines and models. She spends as much time as possible at the farm where Classy is boarded, Hidden Treasure Farm in Lone Oak, and is a dedicated member of the Coweta County 4-H Horse and Pony Club. The Moreland

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family even has a miniature horse, Tucker, as a pet.

Her dad jokes that he tells other fathers that while every little girl asks for a pony, it doesn’t mean you have to buy one. But the entire Glover family, who live near Moreland, supports Mayson in her pursuit of her passion, spending hours at the Coweta County Fairgrounds arena for drill team practice, watching Mayson and Classy perfect the intricate moves of the team.

And horses have become a family activity.

Mayson’s mom, Chris, has a Tennessee Walker, and Glover and Mayson’s twin brother, Beck, like to trail ride.

Mayson was not quite 4 years old when she

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Mayson Glover and her Quarter horse, Cowboyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Classic

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Buzz Glover, above, says he thinks riding horses is an excellent activity for daughter Mayson. Her participation on the 4-H Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mounted drill team teaches her responsibility and teamwork, he says.

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Mayson Glover has 95 horse figurines and models.

first showed a serious interest in horses. Her mother, Chris, who had ridden as a child, enrolled her daughter in English riding lessons.

But Mayson switched to riding Western at age 7 when, lured by speed, she discovered barrel racing, a sport that involves skillful riding and athletic horses. Although barrel racing is primarily a rodeo event for women, young cowgirls and cowboys compete to see who is fastest to negotiate a cloverleaf pattern about three barrels placed in a triangle in the center of an arena.

Ask the Moreland Elementary fourth grader why she likes to “run barrels,” and that shy smile appears: “You get to go fast.” Sometimes too fast – once when she and Classy were practicing, they rounded the last barrel and headed out of the gate.

Classy was back at the barn before Mayson could get her stopped.

Mayson has ridden successfully in competitions sponsored by the Dixie Youth Riding Association and the National Barrel Horse Association at arenas all around

commitment of time for the team Atlanta – the Georgia International Horse Park, Wills Park and Chicopee members and their parents, but during a recent practice, the Woods – but beginning after camaraderie of the teammates is clear.

Thanksgiving, she concentrates on The girls – there is only one boy on the 4-H mounted drill team, whose the team – work hard, staying alert to competitive season ramps up after avoid crashing into each other during the first of the year. the complicated movements. Their The team, coached by Angela horses work up a sweat. Mayson may Dennis, has participated successfully be the youngest member of the team, against other teams from Georgia and other southern states for the past but her determination to pull her own weight is obvious from the set of several years in competitions her lips and the look in her eyes as sponsored by the Georgia Horse she guides Classy through the Council. Team members, who maneuvers at a trot and then a perform intricate patterns set to music, devote hours to practice in the canter.

Watching Mayson, one suddenly arena at the Coweta County understands the sentiment expressed Fairgrounds on Pine Road. The members must also agree to ride their by the bumper sticker on the back of one team member’s trailer: horses several times a week to keep “Horseback Riding – It’s Like Eating them in shape. and Drinking – Only More “We feel riding is an excellent activity for kids,” says Buzz. “We feel Important.” NCM it teaches responsibility, teamwork – between her and Classy and with other kids on the 4-H drill he depends on you. team. It has At Southern Crescent enabled her to Equine, we know how see some important your horse is to you. From lameness beautiful area evaluations to reproduction farms and learn and emergency services, about the farm you can count on us to provide quality care for life. Mayson has your horse’s total health. made some great friends riding, and Chris and I you can depend on us. have also. We general practice • lameness count some reproduction • emergency other horse parents as some Dr. Jason McLendon, DVM of our closest Dr. Matthew Reynolds, DVM AAEP & AVMA Members friends. Most of all, it makes 608 Hwy 29, Newnan, GA 30263 770.252.6860 fx 770.262.6861 Mayson happy.” southerncrescent@numail.org It’s a big JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 | 65

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Coweta Cooks }

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Years of ‘Mockingbird’

By Amelia Adams | Photo by Bob Fraley

ifty years ago the sleepy streets of Maycomb, Ala. became an engrossing setting enjoyed by millions of people globally. Naming a favorite character in Nelle Harper Lee’s only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, remains difficult: the rebellious Scout, the compassionate Jem, the ever-protective

Boo Radley, or the ethical Atticus Finch battle within readers’ conceptions. The constant champion, however, resides in its theme: every human being merits fair treatment and consideration of individual points-of-view.

As a high school English teacher for 35 years in Coweta and Walton counties, I had the pleasure of rereading and

re-teaching the novel dozens of times. The evaluation of great literature attests that reconsideration, allows for new thoughts and reflections, finding a little channel of discovery each reading brings.

Soon after my return to Newnan after a 27-year absence, I was pleased to hook on to a trip to Monroeville, Ala., Harper Lee’s hometown, to watch the city’s amateur troupe in a play based on the

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longer work. Joining the book club of Central Baptist Church brought us to a short tour of the town.

Our car of five stopped frequently to read markers before walking the downtown streets around the famed courthouse where the play would be presented.

Although all the shop owners knew and saw Harper Lee often over the years, they were reluctant to discuss any details of her; they respected her wish for privacy and revealed little.

Dinner was lively at the Radley Grill. Our waiter did show us the table where Harper Lee and her sister Alice Finch Lee, who is a practicing attorney in her ninth decade, dine.

After enjoying a deliciously grilled ribeye that sprawled across my plate, we headed for our outdoor theatre.

Local actors portray the roles in this production. The attorney who played Atticus could have been a young Gregory Peck.

One of the more effective performers was the local district attorney, a most obnoxious Bob Ewell. The play moved inside the courthouse for the final scenes. Somehow, all of us in the audience traveled back in time as we saw the segregated balcony, the children dressed for the play, and the bittersweet ending of Scout’s walking Boo Radley home.

For most of us, To Kill a Mockingbird is a landmark book in Southern heritage; however, with the onset of the anniversary, a few critics voiced their views. “Sappy,” “clichéd,” describe Harper Lee’s style while her women are diagnosed as

“flat” or “simple minded.”

Author Malcolm Gladwell, who gave us Outliers a few years back, judged Atticus Finch disappointing in that the main character was not outraged at the injustice; rather than seeking great change in the South, Finch was merely satisfied to defend a black man to assure him a fair trial.

Wall Street Journal sports and feature writer Allan Barra calls Atticus “a sugar coated myth … who is a repository of cracker-barrel epigrams.”

In Mary Murphy’s collection of

Andrew Young reflects, “I remember Atticus Finch. For me, he represents a generation of intelligent white lawyers who eventually, in the fifties and sixties, became the federal judges who changed the South. In school desegregation cases in New Orleans, it was Judge Minor Wisdom. In Atlanta it was Judge Griffin Bell and Judge Albert Tuttell … they were Atticus Finch … without them, we would not have had a civil rights movement.”

As a food lover, I found quite a few dishes of note in the novel. Miss Maudie’s Lane Cake is a treasure, but not for the ordinary cook. Who could forget poor Walter Cunningham “drowndin’” his food in syrup? In considering the bread, butter and sugar mentioned in the novel is the surefire Southern treat, Sally Lunn, which had its origins in Bath, England.

Lucky to have dined at the Sally Lunn restaurant in Bath, I can swear that the version we enjoy is far superior to our friends’ recipe across the pond.

For at least four decades, I have made this recipe of James Beard’s from one of my favorite cookbooks, Beard on Bread. For those afraid of yeast breads, give this one a try as it does not require any kneading. As long as the liquids are lukewarm, you will not burn the yeast and have a flop on your hands. For those who desire to cut calories, the milk may be low fat, the butter at two tablespoons, and the eggs numbering just two.

I often take Sally Lunn to a bereaved family as they say it is an instant comfort food.

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essays from noteworthy readers, Scout, Atticus & Boo, I found many who take the opposing view of the former writers. The book boasts quite a few famous African-Americans, among them Oprah Winfrey and Ambassador Andrew Young.

Winfrey recalls, “I fell in love with Scout. ... The character was so fully realized and showed … that she knew who she was and was very assertive … she was learning about this whole world of racism. I wanted to be Scout, and I wanted my father to be Atticus.”

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Sally Lunn Bread 1 package active dry yeast 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup lukewarm water (100-150 degrees) 1 stick butter 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 4 cups all-purpose flour Combine yeast, sugar and lukewarm water in a mixing bowl and allow to proof for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in the milk and add the salt.

When cooled a bit, beat the butter mixture into the eggs so that the entire mixture is lukewarm.

Slowly beat in the flour 50100 strokes until it forms a stiff

I often take Sally Lunn to a bereaved family as they say it is an instant comfort food. If you wish, you may use two baking pans in place of the tube pan; give one away and keep one for yourself. As well, the sugar mentioned in the novel may top slices for toast, especially good when the sugar is mixed with a bit of cinnamon.

Despite criticism, Harper Lee’s solo novel stands as a brave submission in 1960, merely the beginning of strides to give AfricanAmericans the rights and privileges so long denied them. While perhaps not so surprising in other regions of the country, Monroeville, Ala., still in the clutches of segregation, made this young woman quite a warrior in a more subtle form of fiction rather than head-on confrontation. NCM

but pourable batter. (I rarely ever use the full amount; as well, if the weather is humid, the amount is different.) Cover the bowl and allow to rise until double in bulk, at least an hour or more. Then beat it down for about a minute. All of the beating can be done in a standing mixer, which is what I do.

Pour the batter into a greased tube pan and allow it to rise again until it comes to the top.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-plus minutes until the top is dark, golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly rapped. Turn out to cool. I like to let it cool completely and re-heat if I wish to serve it warm, as stickiness will be omitted with the cutting.

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4EL s &AX 1111 Bullsboro Drive, Suite 12, Newnan, GA 30265 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 | 69

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The Arts}

In tune with

Priscilla Stone

By Connie J. Singleton | Photos by Bob Fraley

Priscilla Stone plays the piano at her home today and, at right, earlier in her career.

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’ve had a rich life and career, and I’m grateful to have done so much for so long,” reflects Sharpsburg’s Priscilla Stone, retired pianist of First Baptist Church of Newnan and private piano teacher.

“So long” began at age eight when she first accompanied her church’s junior choir, a role that fueled her passion and jump-started a career in music ministry that spans six decades.

Stone was influenced by several music teachers and professors throughout her early years of piano lessons and during her advanced music education at the University of

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Priscilla Stone watches as student Caitlin Singleton plays the piano. At right, Stone flips through one of the scrapbooks recording some of her many solo and recital performances through the years, including the ones below.

Georgia and West Georgia College, but she saves the greatest recognition for her late mother, Maxine Hester Johns.

“She came from a musical family and grew up in the Depression,” Stone says. “She determined I would have every opportunity to explore different areas in the arts, to have church involvement, and a rich educational experience. Mother played piano by ear and taught lessons when I was growing up.”

“Mommy Max” was for many years the organist at First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs (formerly Providence Baptist), only later studying organ formally as an adult.

“My motivation as a young girl was that I always wanted to be better than her,” Stone says laughingly.

In West Georgia music circles, Stone’s name is recognized as a synonym for excellence in performance and instruction.

72 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

Until the last five years, her primary focus was playing the piano. She performed numerous solos and recitals, and served as principal rehearsal and performance accompanist for more than two dozen musicals and operas (college, high school and community theatre productions), recitals and concerts with amateur and professional musicians, numerous church productions and events, countless weddings and funerals, and at prisons, nursing homes and dance studios.

A collection of programs, notes of appreciation, concert posters and other treasured keepsakes are filed neatly in a memento box, reminders of a long list of events that dominated Stone’s busy schedule in earlier years. Two additional binders contain more photos and memorabilia. One chronicles her creation of a

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Christmas music tape project for American soldiers who served in the Persian Gulf in 1990, and a framed letter of recognition from thenPresident George H.W. Bush hangs in her piano studio in honor of those efforts. The other captures her Georgia and Oxford, England tour adventures as accompanist for the Welsh Male Voice Choir in 1994 and 1997.

Stone married Roger Stone in 1967, raised a family, and through the years tried her hand at other, non-music-related jobs. “Nothing was ever as satisfying. I always knew I’d end up in music,” she says.

At peace with the fact that none of her three grown sons – Jay, Marty and Marshall – took an interest in learning piano, Stone says, “I gave my boys the opportunity to play, but they were

sports-minded. They do, however, have an appreciation for music and the work I’ve done.” Stone credits much of her ministry’s success to the love and support she’s received from Roger and her sons.

Retired as pianist and handbell choir director of First Baptist Church of Newnan in 2008 because of health issues, Stone also reduced her private teaching load from 24 to 11 students.

“It’s gratifying to teach those who want to be here and who apply themselves,” she says. “I will teach until I can’t anymore, but now I’m very selective in choosing students.” Of the hundreds of Coweta and Carroll County students Stone has taught over 40 years, only four are teaching others; many, however, are playing or directing music for their churches

or using their musical training in other ways.

While proud of her teaching legacy, Stone’s first love always has been playing.

“If my back and arthritis didn’t prevent it, I’d still be playing regularly,” she says. “I’m now, though, transitioning from ‘human doing’ to ‘human being.’ I’m filling more time with grandchildren’s activities, reading and cooking, Bible study, rest and reflection.”

“As a Christian and musician, my greatest hope is that I’ll be remembered as the pianist who could bring people into the very presence of God with her playing – as the Holy Spirit moves through my spirit – through my fingers and the keys, flowing across the strings and the soundboard of an instrument made of wood and metal.” NCM

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Tina’s Tips }

Cozy Up By the Fire

By Tina Neely | Photos by Bob Fraley

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The weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful.

And since we’ve no place to go, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! he chilly days of winter have really set in, and I don’t know about you but I’m ready to get cozy, simplify and relax for a while. What better place to do that than in my “new” master bedroom! A warm fire, calm-cool colors, a new fluffy big bed – it took only a little over a week to get it that way, and we’d love to give you ideas on how you can do it too.

It’s been five years since we added an upstairs to our home. We’ve grown to know its ins and outs, rights and wrongs, and our

Tina Neely’s latest DIY project was the installation of a fireplace in her master bedroom, along with new furniture and bedding.

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With countless models of inserts available, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really not as big a project as you might think.

For tips on how the Neelys installed their own fireplace insert, visit newnancowetamagazine.blogspot.com.

76 | NEWNAN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COWETA MAGAZINE

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“what we should’ve done” list seems to get longer and longer. One thing I know for sure is that since we built our master bedroom over the garage, and even though it’s insulated, we freeze our tails off in the wintertime!

What better way to remedy that than to add a fireplace? With countless models of inserts available, it’s really not as big a project as you might think.

To begin this project I looked for my inspiration, which in this case was the bedding. I chose Briarwood

by Rose Tree that I saw at a local department store and then ordered online at various stores that had the best prices for each piece. While the bedding was being shipped, I selected a paint color to match and started painting.

To give the room a more relaxing feel, I chose the color Waterscape by

Sherwin Williams. Reminding me of the beach and of a very special gift in a perfect little Tiffany blue box, this has become one of my favorite colors in the house.

Another great way to make things warmer when you have hardwood floors is to add a large rug.

It’ll help to insulate the room and give a cozier feel. Instead of purchasing an expensive large rug, go to your local carpeting store and check out the remnant pieces in back. They can cut them to whatever you specify and then have the edges finished off and bound to match.

One of the main reasons for this redo, besides adding a fireplace, was to upgrade to a bigger bed. After having the same bedroom suite for almost 15 years, and after going to the beach several times this summer and enjoying a king size bed, we

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decided it was time to have one at home. We sold the old suite in a yard sale and purchased all new pieces – a king canopy bed, dresser, chest, bench, night stand and night table – from a collection called Keytown. It also had a bit of a beach feel because of the shutter details in the design. When I got my new furniture, I kept in mind to shop the big holiday weekend sales. Often there are extra percentages off just for those special holidays.

The other unique furniture pieces were fun finds. The blue chest and a blue sideboard came from local stores. A wonderful loveseat 78 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

that was brand new and matched the bedding perfectly came from a great little furniture consignment store on the square. When I saw the same plaid fabric that was on the loveseat at a fabric store, I purchased it to cover the bench to sit at the end of the bed.

The fireplace insert was chosen and the hole cut for it. We framed it in, stack stoned it, then built a mantel to top it off, and our main focal point for the room was done. (For more information on how to add your own fireplace insert, visit newnancowetamagazine.blogspot. com.) The mantel was painted white to match the trim and crown molding, and in one of my husband’s favorite features of the redo, the flat screen TV was placed on top.

We hung draperies made to match the bedding and bamboo blinds to give more of the island

feel and to provide more privacy and darkening to the room. We found jute-wrapped lamps that went perfectly with our theme, and for artwork, family beach pictures taken over the summer decorate the walls and accent the dark browns and turquoise blues in the room.

Makes me want to head back to Destin!

So where will you find the Neelys this winter? Cozying up by the fire. Matt and I, most of the time with all three kids in tow, are piled up in the big bed together to watch a favorite movie or read a good book. It’s a beautiful place that is soothing, inviting and wonderfully serene – and so worth getting dirty for about a week painting, cutting wood and playing in concrete mortar. I didn’t mind, and I don’t mind the cold winter weather either. We’ll just hang out here ’til the daffodils start popping up, and then we’ll mosey on outside and think of a great new spring project to do! NCM

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MAGAZINE

2011 PHOTO CONTEST If you're like most of us, you spend part of January looking at pictures taken over the past year and resolving to organize them better.

We'd like to help!

Instead of merely organizing your old photos, how about entering one of them in our Newnan-Coweta Magazine Photo Contest? Winners will receive a cash prize ($100 for first place, $50 second, $25 third) and publication in the March/April issue of the magazine.

The Rules • Each entry must be taken by a current Coweta County resident who is not a professional photographer, defined as someone who makes more than half their income by taking photos. The person entering the contest must have personally taken the photo and cannot submit a photo someone else has taken. All ages are welcome to enter.

(Employees of The Times-Herald and Newnan-Coweta Magazine and their immediate family members, as well as freelancers who have worked for either publication, are not eligible.)

• Each person may submit one photo on any subject of their choosing.

People, pets, landscapes and vacation spots are all ideal subjects for photos.

• Photos may be submitted by several methods. High-quality print copies or images on CD may be mailed to “Photo Contest, c/o Newnan-Coweta Magazine, P.O. Box 1052, Newnan, GA 30264” or delivered to our offices at 16 Jefferson St. in downtown Newnan. Highresolution images may also be e-mailed to ncmagnews@newnan.com.

All should be identified as entries for the Newnan-Coweta Magazine Photo Contest and include the photographer’s name, address, phone number and/or e-mail address. Photographs will not be returned.

• Entries must be received at our offices by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4. NCM

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 | 79

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Bookshelf }

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

By Tom Franklin William Morrow, $24.99 Reviewed by Holly Jones Southern children learn to spell Mississippi using the pneumonic device “M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I.” This is the quote in the front of Tom Franklin’s novel. The book is also entitled Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter because – appropriately – things are crooked in this story of boyhood friends from rural Mississippi.

The thing is, this “crooked” doesn’t mean conniving so much as it means offkilter, irregular, or “not straight or aligned.”

Larry and Silas are certainly not aligned in Crooked Letter. The two were boyhood friends, brought together almost through desperation, but their friendship has gotten as “crooked” as one could possibly be.

80 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

Silas, or “32” as he is known throughout the state, is the only law enforcement officer in Cabot, Miss. Friends and strangers alike call him 32 because it was the number on his baseball jersey back when he was a star, and still clap him on the back and buy him meals for the fame he brought to their town.

Larry was famous too, although “infamous” might be the better word. When both boys were in high school, Larry took Cindy Walker on a date. It was the last time anyone ever saw her. Everyone in Cabot suspected Larry of raping and murdering Cindy and hiding the body. There was never a body or enough evidence to convict, but that didn’t stop the court of popular opinion from exacting justice.

Larry now runs his father’s auto mechanics shop, but never has any customers and spends most of his days reading Stephen King novels.

The two men don’t speak, and Silas only grudgingly acknowledges that he knows Larry. But at one point, during their childhoods, Silas and Larry went hunting and fishing together, explored the woods they both lived in, and exchanged boyish confidences.

The boys were as close as brothers.

Now, more than two decades after Cindy’s disappearance, another girl has vanished. Another of Silas’s friends from high school is found mur-

dered; and Larry is found shot in his home. More than anything, Silas doesn’t want to bring up the past, to remind himself or anyone else that he and Larry have a lot more in common than anyone realizes; but the evidence is forcing his hand.

Secrets, suspicion and scandal make for a very crooked story in Tom Franklin’s Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.

I Still Dream About You

By Fannie Flagg Random House, $26 Reviewed by Holly Jones Margaret “Maggie” Fortenberry has a plan for her life. The former Miss Alabama and Miss America runner-up has already weighed her pros and cons, made her to-do lists, and even written the necessary notes. She’s found a secluded location, gathered the essential items, and closed or settled the appropriate accounts.

Because Maggie’s plan isn’t about living her life; it’s about ending it.

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Fannie Flagg’s latest insight into humanity, I Still Dream About You, is set in Birmingham, Ala. where Maggie grew up and won the Miss Alabama pageant. She’s a beloved figure, a small-time celebrity known for her grace and poise.

Maggie, however, sees herself as a washed-up beauty queen whose looks are fading, who has no skills other than being able to play two songs on the harp and knowing 48 different ways to fold a napkin. She is working in real estate, but that’s a failing market in the recession-stricken South. Maggie’s boss and mentor Hazel died five years ago, taking the heart of the company with her. And – Maggie is mortified to discover – she recently found herself cursing – at least in her head.

Maggie has no family except a distant (and obnoxious) cousin. Her best friends and co-workers Brenda and Ethel have busy lives of their own. Plus, if Brenda and Ethel knew about Maggie’s past, they’d never speak to her again.

So really, why shouldn’t Maggie end it all?

The date and time are set, the plan is in motion. Then, the phone rings and Maggie’s plans are changed.

Flagg’s “grass is always greener” look into the lives of Maggie, Brenda, Hazel and Ethel is a hilarious account of friendship and loyalty. It’s a “will-she-or-won’t-she … and why” page-turner; and at times the reader will require a tissue or two.

But what the book does best is show all sides of these characters. We see Maggie from her perspective – which is never quite as depressing as she believes – but we also see her through Brenda’s eyes. We are shown why Maggie thinks Brenda and Ethel’s lives seem so much more rewarding, but to these two women Maggie’s life seems blissful and perfect.

Things – and plans – change when these women start talking.

Secrets are revealed, doors are opened, and skeletons – literally – come out of closets.

Yes, Maggie Fortenberry has a plan for her life, but life has different plans for Maggie. NCM

{ Index

of Advertisers }

Arlington Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Bank of Coweta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 BB&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Carrollton Eye Clinic, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Center For Allergy & Asthma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Charter Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Chin Chin Newnan Chinese Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Coweta-Fayette EMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Coweta Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Crossroads Podiatry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The Dinoff School for the Gifted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Downtown Church of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Farm Bureau Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Farm & Masonry Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Franklin Road Animal Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 GMC Community College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Heritage Retirement Homes of Peachtree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The Heritage School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Kaiser Permanente . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Hollberg's Fine Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Landmark Christian School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Lee-King and Lee-Goodrum Pharmacies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Mercer University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Morgan Jewelers/ Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Newnan Academy of Preschool & Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 NGTurf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 NuLink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Phillips Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Piedmont Newnan Hospital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pioneer Ford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Radiation Oncology Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Ritzy Roost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Sam’s Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Savannah Court of Newnan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Southern Crescent Equine Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Spoon Sisters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 StoneBridge Early Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Super Sand Professional Topdressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Uniglobe McIntosh Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Wesley Woods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Wedowee Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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I am Coweta }

Katie Anderson

By Nichole Golden | Photo by Bob Fraley

Katie Anderson is a busy mom and blogger. She holds two degrees in social work from UGA, and worked in that field for many years before having children. After Anderson’s part-time position as an elementary school aide was cut in 2009, she turned lemons into lemonade. “I decided it was the perfect time to try to get paid doing what I’d always loved – writing,” said Anderson. “It paid off a year later, when I was offered my current position as a part-time freelancer for AOL! I am also taking writing classes at West Georgia starting in January.”

Tell us a little about your family. My husband of 12 years, Scott, has worked for Delta for 11 years. We have two children, Will, who is 10, and Sarah Kate, who is 5.

How long have you called Coweta home? We moved from Charlotte, N.C. to Coweta in the fall of 2002.

How did you become interested in blogging? I’ve always been interested in environmental issues, and after being diagnosed with asthma in 2008, I started looking at ways to live a healthier lifestyle. My first blog was an extension of those two interests. (Anderson’s former blog, “Going Green,” won a Southern Living Mama Blogger of the Week award in 2009.)

What is your current blog? My new blog is called “yellowdaisychickchat” (www.yellowdaisychickchat.wordpress.com), where I basically write about whatever I want to. So far, I’ve covered my Mississippi literary tour, voting, a book review, restaurant review, and our Design on a Nickel kitchen redo.

How was the literary tour? It was a trip of a lifetime for me, my mom and grandmother … three generations of book lovers and we were in literary heaven. I highly recommend it.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time, if you have any of that? Writing, reading, yoga, cooking, photography, watching Food Network and Bravo.

What does your family enjoy doing here in Coweta? We love going to downtown events, like Taste of Newnan and the Christmas parade, picnicking at the downtown parks (we are Friends of the Chattahoochee Bend State Park and look forward to its opening), listening to music at the Alamo and Espresso Lane, and shopping and strolling at Ashley Park.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions; I don’t like to make promises I know I’m not going to keep! I do usually set goals for the year around my birthday. This year I will turn 40, so my “Birthday Resolution” will be to not have a mid-life crisis! NCM

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WHO KNEW A FRESH LAYER OF INSULATION WOULD HELP ME WEATHER THE ECONOMY? There was money hiding in my attic. Not anymore. I’m saving $240 a year just by adding insulation. What can you do? Find out how the little changes add up by visiting www.utility.org, and clicking on “Energy Saving Tips under the “For My Home”tab.

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Banking need you have. We offer a sophisticated array of financial products and services – capital markets, corporate investments, international banking, cash management and more. Our team of knowledgeable and friendly bankers can

Powerfully deliver an unrivaled customer experience – based on trust and superior service.

So whether your business is large or small, get

Connected to Bank of Coweta, your local division of SYNOVUS® BANK Anne B. Bell

Bank of Coweta President and Chief Operations Officer

Come see me or any of your friends at Bank of Coweta.

We’ve been here since 1972 to serve you.

Visit any of our Synovus® Bank locations in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama or Florida.

Go to Synovus.com/locations for a division near you.

770-253-1340 www.bankofcoweta.com

Synovus® Bank, Member FDIC, is chartered in the state of Georgia and operates under multiple trade names across the Southeast. Divisions of Synovus® Bank are not separately FDIC-insured banks. The FDIC coverage extended to deposit customer is that of one insured bank.