2020 Fall Issue

community magazine 2020 FALL ISSUE

PUBLISHERS

Meredith & Scott Tredeau 770-788-6795 info@thenewtoncommunity.com

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DIRECTOR OF SALES

Maree Cronan 770-530-7837 sales@thenewtoncommunity.com

FEATURES 6 Homegrown Talent 10 Sobering Perpective 14 Pathway to Peace

EDITOR

Brian Knapp PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ethan Taylor Michie Turpin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

SPORTS & RECREATION

22 Collective Effort 28 Harvesting Hope

34 No Ordinary Tee Time 38 Mansfield’s Famous Southpaw

Darrell Allen Kari Apted Kim Coady Michelle Floyd Nat Harwell Patty Rasmussen David Roten Gabriel Strovall ILLUSTRATOR

Scott Fuss DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

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ARTS, EDUCATION & INNOVATION 44 Leading the Dance for Inclusion 48 All the Right Notes

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LIVING

54 Our Own Slice of Americana 58 ‘Laughter is the Best Medicine’

Angie Johnson’s email address was listed incorrectly under the story titled “A ‘Quirky’ Trip Down Memory Lane” in the Spring 2020 issue of the magazine. Johnson’s correct email address is bbfuzz2@gmail.com. In addition, Don Troutman was misidentified as “Dan Troutman” under the story titled “Clyde’s Essence” in the same issue. The Newton Community Magazine apologizes for the errors, as it strives to provide the public with accurate information. Readers can notify us of potential mistakes via email at info@thenewtoncommunity.com.

The Newton Community Magazine is published quarterly.

All contents are copyrighted by The Newton Community Magazine. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission is prohibited. The Newton Community Magazine reserves liability in error to a printed correction.

On the Cover

SLOW DOWN, TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE

by DAVID ROTEN

Life goes by so fast, except for the young.

During those innocent years, we could not wait until we were old enough to go to school, old enough to date, old enough to get our driver’s license, old enough to graduate and on and on.

We moved from one milestone to the next with scarcely a thought as to how we got there. After all, who has time for such contemplation when you are in the middle of a race to grow up?

Then one morning it happens. You wake up and realize you are not a kid anymore. In fact, you have kids of your own, along with a spouse, a dog, a mortgage and graying temples. You realize this is your life—today—a tough

but good epiphany. There are more opportunities ahead and other destinations to reach, but there is no longer a mad rush to get there.

If life is a road trip, maybe the time has come to exit the freeway and take the scenic route. Learn to enjoy the journey while you are still on it. Maybe, for a few glorious moments, forget about where you are going. Just slow down and take in the view. If you are, indeed, blessed to have a family, by all means take them along for the ride, and when your child asks “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” for the hundredth time from the backseat, you can answer, “Yes, son, we are. I do believe we are.”

PUBLISHERS’ NOTE

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...” Even if you haven’t read it, you’ve probably heard these famous opening lines from the Charles Dickens classic “A Tale of Two Cities.” Sounds a little like current times, does it not? Many people have dubbed 2020 the worst year of all-time. It has had a great deal of tragedy, pain and suffering, to be sure, but it has also brought some unexpected blessings and beautiful moments.

When the county first announced that all students would start school virtually this fall, we were angry. We just knew it wouldn’t work for us, and we immediately began tallying up all the ways it was going to be a disaster: “We have to work!” “Our Wi-Fi is terrible!” To say we were dreading it is an understatement. Sometime during the middle of the second week, while Scott was sitting with our youngest son and I was dashing back and forth between the two middle schoolers—they have a knack for having a technology crisis at the exact same time—it dawned on us that we had been thinking about it all wrong. We don’t have to do this; we get to do this. We get to spend all this extra time with the kids.

Yes, it’s stressful and difficult, but it’s also fun and rewarding. We’re grateful, but we get irritated. It’s inconvenient, and it’s a blessing. Indeed, it’s the best of times and the worst of times.

We hope you enjoy this issue and the stories of hope, love and inclusion in our community. There are lots of bright spots to be found out there, if we just remember to look for them.

May God bless and keep you.

Scott and Meredith Tredeau

2020 Fall Issue 5

F E AT U R E S

HOMEGROWN

TALENT Drew Parker moved to Nashville five years ago to pursue his dream of country music superstardom. He has since co-written a No. 1 song with Jake Owen, appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and performed alongside some of the industry’s biggest names, including Luke Combs—a man with whom he will tour in 2021.

by PATTY RASMUSSEN How does one go from high school graduate to co-writing the No. 1 country song in the United States in five years, from playing gigs in a small Georgia town to performing in the Ryman Auditorium at the Grand Ole Opry, from working part-time as a hospital X-ray technician to signing a songwriting deal and performing with some of the biggest names in Nashville? Drew Parker, a rising country music songwriter and performer, offers a simple answer.

“For me, it’s work ethic,” he said. “You have to have the total desire to be passionate about country music and to write a song that relates to as many people as you can relate it to.”

Along with the rest of America, 2020 has been quite a year for Parker. However, while everyone else was shutting down in late March thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was celebrating one of the most momentous weeks of his life. “Homemade,” a song co-written

by Parker and performed by Jake Owen, went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart on March 22; and if that did not provide enough excitement, just two days later, Parker and his wife Mallory welcomed something else homemade when their daughter Harley Greer was born.

“Yeah, what a week that was—the No. 1 song in the country and the No. 1 daughter,” he said. “I didn’t get a lot of songwriting done that week.”

That was unusual for Parker because of his aforementioned work ethic. He is a daily writer and does not wait for the mood to strike. It is the culmination of a lot of ideas, time and something he is far too humble to mention: a truckload of talent.

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“I think everything in country music is about real life and how we’re put in this position, this particular heartbreak, this certain love or this experience with your buddies. Songwriting is our way of telling that story.”

Drew Parker 2020 Fall Issue 7

F E AT U R E S

A Musical Obsession “He was obsessed with music as a kid,” said John Johnson, a longtime friend and owner of TuneDesigner, a Covington-based recording studio. “I tell people who want to be in the music industry all the time that you really do have to be obsessed with writing and singing. Drew had that obsession as a kid.”

Johnson’s family attended the same church as Parker and his family. In fact, Johnson and his brothers formed a gospel singing group that performed at the church. Parker remembered seeing other people perform, and despite feeling shy, he knew he wanted to be on stage someday.

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“I think I was about 6 years old,” he said. “Talking onstage was uncomfortable, but as long as I was singing a song, I was OK.” Parker took piano lessons as a child but figured out that was not where he wanted to spend his time. He was grateful for the exposure, though. “It taught me how music worked and a lot of music theory,” he said. Parker used to perform at church, not only singing but playing drums in the praise band, according to Johnson, who remembers him being an excellent drummer.

When he was in his mid-teens, he picked up a guitar for the first time and started picking out tunes, usually the guitar-driven power ballads popular during the 1990s. He listened to a lot of the classics—Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings—but he liked the popular artists of the day, too, from Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt to Brooks & Dunn. However, Keith Whitley was his favorite.

“The first song I ever learned to play on guitar was Keith Whitley’s ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes,’” Parker said. “In my opinion, Keith Whitley was the best country artist that ever walked the face of the earth. That’s just my opinion. I just connected with him.”

Parker graduated from Alcovy High School in 2010, and though music was his passion, he still had the good sense to get his certification as an X-ray technician from the School of Radiologic Technology at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. That enabled him to work at Newton Medical Center—now Piedmont Newton Hospital—on a part-time basis while he worked on his music.

“I know he put in a lot of late nights writing and doing X-rays,” Johnson said.

“A lot of people might have given up because they didn’t have the record or writing deal yet, but if it’s in your blood, you can’t help it.”

Nudge to Nashville Parker by 2014 was working at the craft of songwriting and performing in the Covington area. Along with many other aspiring writers and performers, he was invited to begin the audition process for the popular NBC singing show, “The Voice,” which included preliminary auditions in Nashville and his first-ever airplane flight to Los Angeles to sing for producers.

He was selected to be one of the Top 100 in the blind auditions on Season 8, which was set to air in February 2015, so he returned to Los Angeles the preceding October for four weeks of filming. Parker performed “Workin’ Man’s Blues” by Merle Haggard for the four judges—Blake Shelton, Christina Aquilera, Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine—and though none of the them opted to turn their chairs, he was enthused by the encouragement he received from his fellow performers. “‘The Voice’ introduced me to a lot of people already in Nashville who told me they thought I had what it took to make it there,” he said. “It was a great experience. I don’t know if I ever would have made it to Nashville if it hadn’t been for people [at the show] influencing me to move.”

In September 2015, Parker made the move to Nashville and started playing gigs at some of the local clubs that held writer showcases. Not only did he get valuable feedback on his songs from other writers, but he also learned more about playing in front of bigger, livelier crowds and how to keep their attention.

Having watched Parker as a young performer, Johnson admits he finds the difference between then and now remarkable.

“He never had a problem singing,” Johnson said, “but when he was younger, he was shy in between songs. It’s amazing to see him now, controlling the stage in front of thousands of people.

He’s got the crowd interacting with him the whole time.”

Part of Parker’s success involves the relationship he has built with his fans. He lets them into his life, introducing them to Mallory, also a Newton County native, his beloved pup Whitley and, of course, daughter Harley via active and popular social

media platforms. He has also revealed more intimate moments, like a post in April sharing security camera footage from 2019 when Mallory discovered him sobbing in the backyard after he learned “Homemade” was going to be Owen’s next single. That kind of authenticity caused more than one fan to comment, “I love it when good guys win.”

However, it took more than being a good guy. There has to be good music. Fortunately, Parker has plenty of it. He was signed to a publishing deal with River House Artists in September 2017, just two years after arriving in Nashville. In addition to the No. 1 single “Homemade,” Parker has co-writer credits on Luke Combs’ singles “Lonely One,” “Nothing Like You” and the hit single “1, 2 Many,” which featured Brooks & Dunn.

Parker’s recently released single “While You’re Gone” drew attention from Rolling Stone magazine, which included a mid-August review in its online weekly music picks; and while the pandemic significantly slowed down in-person performing for 2020, Parker already has tour dates lined up for 2021. He will head out on the road with Combs on the “What You See Is What You Get Tour.” How does Parker write songs that transcend barriers and connect with so many different people?

“I just write what I know,” he said. “I channel the things I grew up on, simple things. When I sit down to write, the idea is born out of real-life situations and a lot of times it’s something I’m drawing back on, something nostalgic from back in the day.

I think everything in country music is about real life and how we’re put in this position, this particular heartbreak, this certain love or this experience with your buddies. Songwriting is our way of telling that story.”

2020 Fall Issue 9

F E AT U R E S ANN JINKS SLAUGHTER WITH HER HUSBAND KENNETH AND SON KELVIN

Sobering Perspective As the first female African American student at Oxford College of Emory University, Ann Slaughter saw the institution as a ‘multicultural academic oasis’ during a time when overt racism was more the norm than the exception.

by KARI APTED While 2020 has been an eventful exercise for everyone, Oxford College of Emory University marks it as an important milestone in the institution’s pursuit of diversity and inclusion. Oxford in February held a BlackOUT Alumni Reunion Weekend to recognize its 30/50 honorees, celebrating 50 years of African American graduates and 30 years of MLK Scholars.

The first African American students at Oxford graduated in 1970: Anthony Gibson, John Hammonds and Ann Slaughter (formerly Ann Jinks). All three were active in various student groups, and Slaughter served as president of the women’s advisory council. She feels strongly that Newton County should appreciate the diversity and enriching experiences that Oxford College has brought—and continues to bring—to the community. However, her choice to attend the school was largely a matter of practicality.

“I graduated from Southwest High School in Atlanta. It had only been desegregated for a few years, and when I transferred in my junior year, it was the first integrated school I attended,” Slaughter said. “My high school counselor and English teacher believed in me. They encouraged me to apply because Oxford

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was looking to bring on minority students. They also offered a small scholarship. Being at an integrated high school helped me make the transition to Oxford.”

Even though she felt somewhat prepared for life on campus, Slaughter still had concerns over what it would be like to be the first female African American student at Oxford.

“I lived in Atlanta, and Newton County was not known to be a very welcoming place for African Americans at that time. It’s actually not a myth that there are two Georgias,” Slaughter said.

“There’s metro Atlanta, and there’s rural Georgia. That’s still true. In the 1960s, it was easier to make transitions in Atlanta because you didn’t have the overt racism that you experienced in more rural areas.”

Slaughter found herself welcomed and treated respectfully by her professors and fellow students. “Oxford ended up being a safe haven,” she said. “It was a multicultural academic oasis in the middle of a community where you could never know how you might be treated if you weren’t white.” For many of her classmates, Slaughter was the first African American person they had met. “I had a lot of fun in the dorm with these naive young girls who had

“Immersing in another culture is so important. You learn things you can’t learn any other way. It’s so important to really understand how other people live, to find out how much you have to be thankful for; and you also find out that we are all really more alike than we are different.”

Ann Slaughter

ANN JINKS SLAUGHTER

2020 Fall Issue 11

F E AT U R E S ANTHONY GIBSON, OXFORD COLLEGE SOCCER TEAM

not ever had a black friend in their lives,” she said with a laugh.

“One girl from Florida said to me, ‘I just never have seen a black person face to face before.’ The girls used to like to watch me press my hair. It was fun being introduced to each other’s cultures.”

Although life on campus was favorable, Slaughter recalls one frightening off-campus incident in clear detail. “[Anthony Gibson] and I went on a double date with a white couple from school. I don’t think they realized what might happen, but I had heard plenty of rumors and stories,” she said. “We went to Social Circle, to a drive-in to get something to eat, and the other customers started throwing out all kinds of racial slurs and comments. Tony could be aggressive when people said things like that. I was telling him that we just needed to be quiet and go. I’ve never been that scared in my life. After that, I just never ventured off campus again unless I was going home to Atlanta.”

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Slaughter initially planned to study computer science but ended up majoring in psychology.

“I’m glad I flunked out of logic class and decided to pursue psychology instead,” she said. “It fits me better. I’ve always been drawn to human service projects.”

After graduating from Emory University on the dean’s honor list, she found work with several nonprofits.

“I always had an affinity for working with young African American men, and I worked for nonprofits that helped them, including the United Way [and] the Boys and Girls Club—which was only the Boys Club back then,” Slaughter said. “In the late 1980s, I was the founding director of Jerusalem House, a permanent housing program for people living with AIDS. It was an eye-opening, rewarding experience, and I did that for 10 years.”

Slaughter later worked with the City of Atlanta, evaluating its homeless programs before moving on to the Centers for Disease Control. She currently serves as a program manager for the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and plans to retire in 2022. Her connection to Oxford College includes many “firsts.” She was the school’s first female African American student and her family’s first college graduate; and her son, Otis Jinks, later became one of Emory College’s first MLK scholarship recipients. The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to Oxford College and Emory University, awarded each year to a Newton County student who meets the merit and financial need requirements.

“Oxford College’s first MLK scholar, Sonya Tinsley-Hook, graduated in 1989,” Oxford College Director of Community Relations Laura Gafnea said. “It is a great community initiative that has graduated excellent leaders in our community.”

Oxford’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and equality helps prepare students for a global life experience. Slaughter agrees that diverse experiences help prepare young adults for life in the real world, and she encouraged her own sons to go on summer mission trips to Kenya and Central America.

“Immersing in another culture is so important. You learn things you can’t learn any other way,” she said. “It’s so important to really understand how other people live, to find out how much you have to be thankful for; and you also find out that we are all really more alike than we are different.”

As she reflects on the significance of this 30/50 anniversary, Slaughter hopes today’s students will learn from her generation’s experiences.

“It’s always been a challenge to get my sons to sit down and read or watch about their history,” she said. “Only now, with all these recent arrests, are they getting a taste of the many things we lived through. I can remember going out with my grandmother, when things were ‘Colored Only’ and you sat in the back of the bus. They need to know how our history has shaped our present. Some things you need to learn about so they don’t happen again.”

JOHN R. HAMMONDS AND ANTHONY GIBSON, OXFORD COLLEGE AIR FORCE ROTC

“In the years since Ann Jinks Slaughter, Anthony Gibson and John Hammonds broke ground as Oxford’s first African American graduates, the college has grown to enroll just under 1,000 first- and secondyear students representing 46 states, 29 countries and an incredible range of diversity of backgrounds and experiences. Oxford’s campus diversity is one of our biggest strengths and gives students a tremendous opportunity to learn from one another.”

Oxford College of Emory University Director of Community Relations Laura Gafnea 2020 Fall Issue 13

F E AT U R E S

P A T H WAY TO PEACE

by DAVID ROTEN

Celebrate Recovery, in its 20th year of existence, continues to offer hope and life change for those suffering from addiction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and a variety of other maladies often swept aside by society.

Melissa Lombardi recognizes a common thread that has run throughout her life. It can be seen in almost everything she does, from her work as a doula, or personal childbirth specialist, to being a grandmother and serving as a volunteer at Celebrate Recovery.

“They all have to do with coming alongside people and just helping them and walking with them through, oftentimes, a new journey,” she said.

Lombardi views it as a calling from God—one enriched by the crucible of her own experience. Twenty years ago, she was the one who needed help. She was in pain, angry and exhausted from trying to restore a broken relationship. Admittedly, there were control issues.

“I became so fixated on trying to fix them I really lost sight of who I was and how Christ saw me,” she said, “and I just became really negative and, after a while, a person I didn’t like at all.”

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All her efforts to fix what she thought were the problems were not working. “I came to the end of myself,” she said. Someone encouraged Lombardi to look into the Celebrate Recovery program that had just launched earlier that year at Eastridge Church.

In addition to the 12 Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous, CR incorporates the eight principles from the Beatitudes, found in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” Even though she had no idea what to expect, Lombardi made a commitment to change.

Although the work would be hard and the growth often slow, the rewards of participating in Celebrate Recovery’s Open Share group began almost immediately. Discovering that there were other people just like her dealing with the same issues was like a “gift” for Lombardi. She remembers her thoughts at the time.

“I may feel like I’m going crazy sometimes in dealing with these hurts, but really, I’m not,” Lombardi said, “and other people can relate to me. I wasn’t alone in this.”

Working through the 12 Steps represents an essential part of the process of healing and growth at CR. For Lombardi, Step 2, which affirms a belief in a “power” greater than self “that can restore sanity,” was pivotal. “Life really began to change when I quit trying to take on all the control to fix somebody else and to fix my life within my own power,” she said. “It was really just accepting that I’m not God.” In the safety of an empathetic community that both supports and holds her accountable, Lombardi continues an endless but fulfilling process of growth and change.

“Just through God’s love and the teachings of CR,” she said, “I’m learning kind of new ways to be me [and finding a] new purpose for myself.”

Lombardi has now been involved with Celebrate Recovery for 19 years. For her, it serves as a gathering place for “people who feel like family” and “2 a.m. friends” who have been there for her time and time again. Over the years, she has co-led Step groups and served as a sponsor for many participants. Currently, she serves as an Open Share Group co-leader and an encourager coach. Still, Lombardi keeps a watchful eye on herself.

“I’m always working the program for my own recovery,” she said. “I can’t give away what I don’t have.”

“I became so fixated on trying to fix them I really lost sight of who I was and how Christ saw me,” she said, “and I just became really negative and, after a while, a person I didn’t like at all.”

Melissa Lombardi

2020 Fall Issue 15

F E AT U R E S

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Vanessa Dooley struggled just to get out of bed most mornings.

Only three years earlier, in 2014, the future looked bright, as she graduated from law school at the University of Georgia.

After moving to Seattle, she passed the bar exam the following year and landed her first job as a public defender. Mere months later, however, unnamed personal challenges began to take their toll. Eventually, a debilitating cloud settled over her, essentially putting her personal life and career as a criminal defense attorney on hold. The diagnosis? Anxiety and depression.

Accepting the fact that she had a mental illness changed the way Dooley viewed herself. “I felt like a failure,” she said. “I felt useless.” It also caused her to re-evaluate how she looked at God and compelled her to ask some difficult questions. “If God is this big God who can change the universe, then why did he give me this illness, and if God is this big God who can move mountains, then why can’t I just get through my day?”

Dooley eventually gained understanding, if not answers to her questions, but it took time. Medication relieved her depression and anxiety but only marginally. “I was just really broken,” she said. When she was invited to a Celebrate Recovery gathering at Eastridge, she accepted the invitation despite knowing little about what she was going to experience. “When I came in the door to Celebrate Recovery, I really didn’t know what it was or what was happening,” she said, “but I kept seeing all these people who were smiling at me and just welcoming me in.”

“I’m still not perfect, but I have peace,” she said. “I think Celebrate Recovery reminded me that I’m not alone in my struggles, and that I am enough because God is enough.”

Vanessa Dooley Dooley’s first night at Celebrate Recovery followed the usual format that begins with a Big Group time of Christian praise and worship, followed by a lesson on one of the 12 Steps utilized in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Afterwards, participants shift to smaller Open Share groups in which they support each other while working through a particular issue such as addiction, abuse, depression, anxiety, anger, pornography or eating disorders, to name a few. Newcomers can go to CR 101, where they can ask questions about the program and learn about all of the Open Share Group options. A women’s group for depression was the right fit for Dooley.

“I went to that group the next week and then the next week and the next week,” she said. “It just took.”

In Celebrate Recovery, Dooley encountered a measure of authenticity that she had found lacking in her church experience growing up. “You don’t really hear about addicts or depression or all the other issues we deal with,” she said.

“CR brought this human aspect that it was real people and real church, and that’s what I really loved about it.” As she shared her struggles with others in her group and they shared theirs, Dooley felt a connection. While the details of their stories were different, she discovered their struggles were largely the same. Somehow, it helped to hear her own issues coming from outside herself: “To hear it from someone else’s mouth really changes it and, I think, starts the healing process.”

Two and a half years into her time at Celebrate Recovery, Dooley continues to find support through a community keenly aware of its need for God and each other. She has contributed through a variety of roles, acting as a server in the dinner food line before CR and as a volunteer in the nursery during Big Group. She also shines as the heralded “Chip Diva” in her small group, passing out commendations for progress with a distinctive flair. Although questions and struggles remain for Dooley, she continues to learn to take one day at a time.

“I’m still not perfect, but I have peace,” she said. “I think Celebrate Recovery reminded me that I’m not alone in my struggles, and that I am enough because God is enough.”

2020 Fall Issue 17

F E AT U R E S

“I can’t tell you how long that slide was—probably about 17 or 18 years,” he said. “I knew I was really in trouble when I started inventorying my beer all the time.”

Eddie Hutwagner

Eddie Hutwagner had parlayed a love of working with his hands into a successful career in machine design and automation, rising to the level of plant manager. “I like to build things,” he said. However, roughly four years later, after a series of transfers and plant closures, Hutwagner found himself working as a temp with a large manufacturer. “It was a humbling experience,” he said. At some point, he turned from drinking socially to drinking as a coping mechanism.

“I can’t tell you how long that slide was—probably about 17 or 18 years,” he said. “I knew I was really in trouble when I started inventorying my beer all the time.”

Hutwagner’s life had begun to crumble for reasons he still does not completely understand. Disenfranchisement with his career was part of his complicated story. A genetic predisposition to alcoholism was another. Whatever the causes, his alcohol abuse made his growing depression worse, which led to more drinking, creating a vicious and destructive cycle.

“The next thing I knew,” Hutwagner said, “I was in really bad health and really, really overweight.”

The more he drank, the more he withdrew from others. “I was angry, mean, violent at times,” he said, “especially when alcohol was involved.” While Hutwagner drank, his wife prayed. She had been going to Celebrate Recovery for about two years and had shared his addiction struggles with her group. “She was praying for me and had people I didn’t even know praying for me,” he said. Finally, Hutwagner reached a breaking point. “I got sick and tired of being sick and tired … and ashamed,” he said. Hutwagner remembers his first night at CR. “I listened to the lesson, thinking, ‘This ain’t going to do me any good.’” His response as he sat in the newcomers group was equally unenthusiastic: “I’m thinking, ‘This is ridiculous. I don’t need to be here.’”

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Hutwagner abruptly left the meeting, got in his car and drove away. He did not get far. “I made it down the road just a little piece,” he said, “and I guess the Holy Spirit was like, ‘Nope, you need to turn around. This is what I’ve got planned for you.’

I said, ‘OK’ and turned around and went back.”

Though Hutwagner had taken his first shaky steps toward recovery, it would be a couple of months before he was finally able to draw a line in the sand. “I don’t know when I started drinking exactly, but believe me, I know exactly the day I stopped,” he said.

“I had begun to face up to the fact that I was killing myself.”

Hutwagner was honest with himself and with others. Though it was difficult at first, he began to share openly in his group about his addiction, his weaknesses, his struggles. In the company of a group of understanding and compassionate men, he began to leave denial behind and move toward forgiveness and healing— into the deliverance for which he had prayed so desperately.

Hutwagner hesitates to use the word “miracle” to describe what took place the day he stopped drinking. “I’m just one bad choice away from doing something I don’t ever want to do again,” he said. Still, the dramatic transformation was undeniable. He has lost over 100 pounds, come off most medications and recently celebrated two years of sobriety. He strives to make amends for past mistakes. “I still have my daily struggles,” he said, “but the beast was in the cage.”

Today, Hutwagner co-leads a Step Study and an Open Share Group, and he has discovered that he furthers his own growth and recovery by serving others. “You can’t keep it unless you give it away,” he said. When it mattered most, he met not with condemnation but compassion—a compassion born out of empathy.

“It’s realizing we’re not these perfect little people walking around with no struggles [but] that we have ‘hurts, habits and hang-ups,’” he said. “It’s followers looking after each other, helping each other in their walk and loving each other the way Christ commanded us to.”

For more information, visit Eastridge.Church/ Celebrate-Recovery or contact Renee Rutledge directly at Renee@Eastridge.Church

2020 Fall Issue 19

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

(L TO R) HILARY TYDD, RN, MELODY HUGHES, JOAN SELBY, LPN, LIZ SMITH, NP, BELINDA HERNDON, RN, JOYCE WILSON, NORRIS LITTLE, MD, MEGHAN HARVEY, JENNIFER PHILLIPS, MSW, STEVANIE REYNOLDS, RN

LIZ SMITH, NP

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JOAN SELBY, LPN

COLLECTIVE EFFORT

by MICHELLE FLOYD

The Willing Helpers Medical Clinic has provided free medical care to more than 8,000 uninsured Newton County residents since it opened in 2006.

With potentially more than 15,000 residents in the area who qualify for its services, the Willing Helpers Medical Clinic in Covington sees no shortage of people in need. As the county’s only source of free medical care, the clinic provides more than 2,000 visits annually and has seen over 8,000 uninsured Newton County residents since it opened in 2006.

“The clinic has never really advertised. We don’t have to,” said Dr. Timothy Park, medical director at the clinic. “When people in a community have needs, word of mouth tends to spread quickly.”

Doctors and nurses volunteer to see low-income, uninsured residents with chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and thyroid issues.

“Most of our patients work,” said Belinda Herndon, a retired registered nurse who serves as executive director of the clinic.

“They just can’t afford the cost of medical care.”

When prospective patients contact the clinic, usually by phone or walk-in, they complete an application before being screened for eligibility for services. Patients must have a chronic illness, live in Newton County, have no health insurance and meet income requirements in order to be seen. Patients can receive lab work, have visits with volunteer doctors and nurses and procure help with medications or other equipment they need to manage their health.

The clinic currently has over 20 volunteer physicians and nurse practitioners, all local to the community. Most of them, including Dr. George Smith, Dr. James Stillerman and Dr. Christy Blanchford, have volunteered since the clinic opened. Other providers, like Dr. Donna Groover and

Dr. Samantha Avoke, have joined more recently. Although financial constraints are real, community members continue to come through and provide for the clinic.

“We’ve had some people really help us,” said Park, who has worked in the healthcare field for nearly 40 years and currently works as a primary care internist under Piedmont Healthcare.

“That is the only reason we can keep it going with the grants we’ve been given.”

Piedmont Newton Hospital has for the last year made space available for the clinic at 4186 Mill Street in Covington—the former office of Dr. Robert Faulkner. The hospital assists with rent and utilities, allowing the clinic to reallocate funds to patient care. In addition to countless staff members who volunteer, the hospital also provides lab work for patients.

“We could never afford that for these patients. It’s worth a lot,” Park said. “They’ve been very supportive of the free clinic.

It’s been great.”

Herndon revealed that many of the clinic’s patients originate from Piedmont’s Emergency Room referrals, which benefits both organizations.

“Many people without a primary care physician use the ER for their primary care,” Herndon said. “They just don’t know where to go, so we help the ER and they in turn help us.”

The clinic pays out of pocket for medications, testing materials for diabetics, nebulizer machines and breathing treatments, along with the medical and office supplies that it takes to run the operation.

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H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

“Many people without a primary care physician use the ER for their primary care. They just don’t know where to go, so we help the ER and they in turn help us.”

Willing Helpers Medical Clinic Executive Director Belinda Herndon

24 The Newton

“It’s amazing what office supplies cost,” Herndon said. “It takes so many little things to keep things moving. Sometimes, people don’t think about the money it takes to run a place like this, even with volunteers.”

With the move into the new space and the start of another year, Herndon hoped to visit churches, civic groups and other organizations that could help with fundraising and donations in 2020. However, coronavirus restrictions put a hold on those moves. “We had a lot of plans for this year,” Herndon said.

Fortunately, smaller organizations, including local Sunday School classes and Girl Scout troops, have collected office supplies for the clinic; and the Newton County Hospital Authority donated $25,000. Meanwhile, local manufacturing company FiberVisions Coporation contributed $10,000 this year. “It was very timely,” Herndon said.

Shae Brown, PhD, a senior development scientist at FiberVisions, helped secure the funds for the clinic. According to Brown, Aloke Lohia, CEO of FiberVisions parent company Indorama Ventures, announced that a philanthropic fund of $2.5 million had been created to support Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds were designated to go to local communities, and employees could submit a proposal outlining an organization that was providing relief for damages brought on by the pandemic.

NORRIS LITTLE, MD, CHEIF MEDICAL OFFICER PIEDMONT NEWTON HOSPITAL, VOLUNTEER

“I researched many local charities in the area and ultimately felt that Willing Helpers would benefit the most if my proposal was chosen,” Brown said. “They have been purchasing medicine, such as insulin, out of their own pockets to try and help our citizens but cannot maintain this throughout the crisis.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic started—although some processes changed, like having to conduct virtual or remote visits—the clinic saw an even greater need. “With the pandemic,” Park said, “many people are out of work and have lost their employee health insurance.” According to Herndon, the facility services roughly 500 patients per quarter during a normal year.

However, from April to June 2020, it assisted more than 1,500 patients. Even current clinic patients are struggling to obtain their medications and medical supplies due to the pandemic.

“It’s escalating,” Herndon said, “but we are still here and ready to help.”

For more information on the Willing Helpers Clinic, visit WillingHelpersClinic.com, call 678-625-8317 or find the clinic on Facebook and Instagram.

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

GRACE & TRUTH

The Waiting Game As Abraham, David and countless others have shown in The Bible, not everything happens quickly or easily in this life.

Nevertheless, God’s timing remains perfect.

by DARRELL ALLEN Several times in the Word of God, there appears a little phrase that reads simply, “over the course of time.” It can mean a few days, a few months and, in some cases, a few years. Some things in life just take time. Not everything happens quickly or easily.

Over the past several months, Americans have experienced a nationwide health crisis that has affected families, business, schools, restaurants and even churches.

Waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for us all. We hope and pray it will end soon, but as of today, it continues. I believe our real challenge as people of God involves how we handle the waiting. In the Book of Genesis, God promises Abraham a son, but it was actually 25 years before that son was given to Abraham and Sarah. In the Book of Samuel, we see Samuel go to the House of Jesse and anoint a young shepherd boy to be king. However, it was actually 15 years before David took the throne.

What do we see Abraham do during those 25 years? He continues to serve and honor God, and he is even referred to as a friend of God. What do we see David do during those 15 years? He continues to serve, honor and sing praises to his God. We all have to realize, as Abraham and David did, that during the “course of time,” God is preparing us for the tasks that are set before us. When we continue to serve and honor God and remain faithful to Him during difficult and uncertain times, He blesses us and honors our faithfulness in amazing ways.

God often uses “the course of time” to strengthen and prepare us for battle. I say this to my congregation all the time: “We’re a microwave generation serving a Crock-Pot kind of God.” Do not despise God’s timing, which is always perfect. Think about Joshua. In Joshua 1:1, I am certain he thought to himself, “Lord, this is not the right time to change leaders and ask me to lead all these people.” However, Joshua had learned over

“the course of time” to trust God and His timing. God had prepared Joshua through Moses to lead these people and fulfill his destiny. God reassured Joshua in Joshua 1:5–6, where he promises, “As I was with Moses, so will I be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and very courageous.”

I challenge you, as I do my congregation at Central Church every week, to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10).

Remember that the enemy cannot take you out, so he will try to wear you out. However, God continues to birth some amazing things in his people today, just as he did with Abraham; and just like with King David, giants still fall. It might take a little longer than we think it should, but “greater is He that’s in us than he that’s in this world” (1 John 4:4). “We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:37).

Don’t despise the quiet or the seemingly stormy times. God is always up to something, and I want to be found faithful to Him over the “course of time.”

Darrell Allen is the senior pastor at Central Church in Covington. Visit mycc2.org or call 770-385-3452 to learn more.

“I say this to my congregation all the time: ‘We’re a microwave generation serving a Crock-Pot kind of God.’” Central Church Senior Pastor Darrell Allen 2020 Fall Issue 27

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

HARVESTING HOPE The Christian-based Repairers of the Breach organization assists those in need, including the homeless, the elderly and families who have experienced domestic abuse, loss of work and various other traumas.

by MICHELLE FLOYD Shirley Smith follows a straightforward motto: “I’m going to work until Jesus comes [back].” Smith, 80, has run the Christianbased Repairers of the Breach organization in Covington since 1991, and she has no plans to stop anytime soon. “I love every day that I get to come out here,” Smith said. “When I leave every day, I say, ‘God, you did it again.’ I said, ‘God, if you will run it, I will be your servant,’ and He did. God is at the helm of this ministry.”

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When she retired from Bell South, Smith started the nonprofit organization as a thrift store prison ministry, along with her late husband Gene and two other couples, Julie and Richard Fairburn and Hub and Pat Doyle. They moved it into the same location along Washington Street in Covington where the building sits today, near where Smith was raised. It was once an old shirt factory before they took over in part, and they eventually acquired the entire 22,000-square-foot building.

Repairers of the Breach—which derives its name from Isaiah 58:12—helps area residents in need, from the homeless and elderly to those searching for a little extra assistance, like families who have experienced domestic abuse, loss of work or those who are dealing with an incarcerated member who was the primary income provider.

“God sends us people that we didn’t expect to get in,” Smith said.

She maintains a food pantry to assist those in crisis, gives away bread and bakery items on a weekly basis—sometimes the package includes dairy—and provides nightly meals onsite or to help buoy other volunteer organizations. The facility also houses shower and bath areas for those who are homeless or without power, and Smith gives clothing and household items to people who lack such necessities.

VOLUNTEER, EDITH GAITHER, SORTS DONATIONS

VOLUNTEER, BUD BEAL, ANSWERS CALLS

VOLUNTEER, SHARON CHILDS, WORKS AS A CASHIER

VOLUNTEER, HUGHIE RAY, DRIVES TRUCK

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H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S (L TO R) SHIRLEY SMITH, CEO, QUINTISS JOHNSON, TREASURER, TONYA HAMMONDS, MANAGER

“Some have lost homes or have other factors,” she said, adding that those in need should come in to complete an application for assistance. The organization has a shop that is open to the public and sells items to help pay for services and employees who work at the location. It also helps provide Christmas for roughly 200 children each year and assists with other special needs like transportation and counseling.

“I enjoy that we are able to help a lot of people who are just down on their luck or people who society has cast out,” said Tonya Hammonds, who has worked at Repairers of the Breach since 1995 and now serves as the store manager. “A lot of these people who we are reaching are homeless or on drugs and don’t have any family support because they have burned those bridges, but we show them that there are people who care and [that] Jesus cares for them.”

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“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” Isaiah 58:12

Some 14 years ago, Repairers of the Breach helped start a church: Led by the Spirit Baptist Mission, now located in Porterdale inside the old hotel along Main Street. Since 2007, Smith’s nephew, Barney Johnson, has pastored the congregation, which originally started as an effort to help homeless people and others it served feel comfortable about attending church.

“It’s a come-as-you-are church and open to all,” Johnson said, adding that the congregation is comprised of all ages, races and backgrounds. “We’re a close-knit family.”

Repairers of the Breach receives no state funding and instead relies on money it receives from donations, yearly fundraisers and sales from the shop.

“I even have one lady who is faithful and sends $100 every month from California,” Smith said. “I’m thankful that God has been so good to us. We give Him all the honor, praise and glory because we couldn’t do it without Him.” Repairers of the Breach accepts monetary donations and gifts of food, clothing and household items to give away or sell in the shop and also can arrange pickups in Newton and surrounding counties. Donations are tax deductible.

“We haven’t had a lot to do a lot with, but we’ve always managed to pay every bill and provide help for somebody else,” Smith said. “It’s a blessing. God knows what we need and sends it in.”

For more information on Repairers of the Breach, call 770-787-7250, visit their location at 5120 Old Brown Bridge Road SW in Covington or see them on Facebook at facebook.com/ repa7250/. Hours of operation are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

S P O R T S & R E C R E AT I O N

34 The Newton

by GABRIEL STOVALL

When Parker’s Pasture Disc Golf Course opened in 2019, it provided Covington’s 160-acre Central Park with one of its showpieces and gave Newton County residents and their families another healthy, cost-effective avenue for outdoor recreation.

Once Gregg Dial was bitten by the disc golf bug, his enthusiasm for the sport became contagious. A lifelong Newton County resident and an avid soccer player who still likes to hit the pitch on occasion, Dial was not unaccustomed to working up a sweat on an athletic field. He has three sons—ages 12, 14 and 19— who all play soccer, and their competitive nature keeps him young. However, when Dial discovered disc golf through his sons, it rekindled the flames within.

“It began when my oldest and a bunch of guys who are his friends got together to go play before leaving to go off to college,” Dial said. “Really, it was a gang of these guys and their fathers going out and playing it. I’d never heard of it before, but when I got the chance to play it, I was hooked.”

Think of disc golf as part ultimate frisbee and part golf, all on an open plane that closely resembles a golf course. The throwing motions are often similar to the discus event in track and field because the golf discs are smaller and heavier than 2020 Fall Issue 35

S P O R T S & R E C R E AT I O N

traditional frisbees. Just like with traditional golf, the goal is for players to reach a basket or “hole” in as few attempts as possible. Therefore, the throws a player needs to reach each target are tallied and measured against par. Just as there are different kinds of clubs that are used to strike a ball in golf, there are various types of discs in disc golf—drivers, mid-range and putter discs—used in relation to a player’s proximity to the basket.

Dial remembers his first experiences with the sport when even his younger sons were running circles around him on the course.

“I was going out there and just heaving this thing with all my might, and it would go maybe 20 or 30 feet,” he said. “Then the kids would come up and just launch the thing, and it was like, ‘Why are y’all outthrowing me?’”

Soon, he learned the art of the throwing motion. Players can either throw forehand or backhand, and the power and speed of one’s throw comes more from the thrust of the hips and the flick of the wrist than the arm itself. Once Dial started seeing results, the sport drew him in further.

“I’ve only been playing for about three months now,” he said, “but I’d say I’ve probably gone to play about 30 or 40 times in the last two months.”

Accessibility has been a driving force in his increased activity.

Parker’s Pasture Disc Golf Course—which was constructed in Central Park between the East and West wards in Covington— opened in late 2019 and provides a perfect setting to take in or participate in the game. The 18-hole course was designed by Brian Yoder and Kevin McCoy. “It’s so beautiful and very well kept,” Dial said. “It’s built like a golf course, but it’s almost like a walking trail, as well. There aren’t trails, but you can walk. It’s a wooded course. My wife walks the dog while I play. It’s an amazing venue.”

Parker’s Pasture is free to play, providing a cost-effective option for families. In fact, the only cost associated with the local course involves the discs. Basic discs run from $10–$30, according to Dial, but more professional discs can cost upwards of $100. They can be found at infinitediscs.com, some Walmarts and various sporting goods stores. Dial has done his part to get the word out.

“Once, when we were driving home, we saw some guys out in the front yard of a house in our subdivision throwing cornhole, and then some were tossing the frisbee,” he said. “I pulled up to the side of the yard, and I told the guys, ‘Y’all know you can take this to a whole other level, right?’ That’s when I told them about the course. They were like, ‘Shut the front door!’ I think they’ve been out just as much as we have over the last couple of months.

“If more people knew about Parker’s Pasture, even if they weren’t wanting to play the game, they’d love it,” Dial added.

“Just by word of mouth, people are beginning to understand how fun this game is.”

36 The Newton

Tournaments for both recreational and professional players continue to spring up as the sport grows, including those hosted at Parker’s Pasture. Dial has one regret: that he did not discover the game sooner. While he does not sound ready to turn away from soccer completely, it seems safe to say that Parker’s Pasture will see plenty of Dial, his family and his friends moving forward.

“I miss soccer, and I’m definitely going to be going back to playing non-competitively,” he said, “but I’m telling you, during the summer, even early morning, going out to the course is a workout and a half. You really sweat and you’re really exerting energy throwing the disc around and walking the course. I love the game. It’s evolved so much, and I’m excited to see how it continues to grow.”

Parker’s Pasture Disc Golf Course is located at 3171 Pennington St. SW in Covington. For more information, contact the City of Covington at 770-385-2000.

“It’s so beautiful and very well kept.

It’s built like a golf course, but it’s almost like a walking trail, as well.

There aren’t trails, but you can walk. It’s a wooded course. My wife walks the dog while I play.

It’s an amazing venue.”

Gregg Dial

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M A N S F I E L D ’ S FA M O U S

SOUTHPAW

by BRIAN KNAPP

Sherrod Smith was immortalized as a central figure in one of Major League Baseball’s all-time dramas, as he went pitch for pitch with Babe Ruth in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series. More than a century later, his performance on an October day in Boston still echoes through the ages.

Erected in 1994 and tucked away on a non-descript stretch of Highway 11, Georgia Historic Marker 107-10 honors the life and career of “Mansfield’s Famous Southpaw.”

Sherrod Malone “Sherry” Smith was born in Monticello near the end of the 19th century and had a talent for throwing a baseball. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound lefthander honed his craft as a pitcher with semi-pro teams in small towns before he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a baby-faced 20-year-old in 1911. Smith appeared in only four games in his two seasons with the Honus Wagner-led Pirates, but he went on to play 12 more years in the major leagues—his career was interrupted briefly by his military service in the United States Army during World War I—with the Brooklyn Robins and the Cleveland Indians.

A cursory glance at Smith’s resume reveals little about the place he carved out for himself in baseball history. He finished his career with a sub-.500 record (114–118) and a solid-but-unspectacular 3.32 earned run average, striking out 428 batters across his 2,052 and two-thirds innings of work. Known for his deceptive pickoff move and the consistency with which he stifled opposing base stealers, Smith enjoyed his best individual season in 1915, when he went 14–8 with a 2.59 ERA and pitched two shutouts while in rotation for the Robins. Nothing jumps off the page, at least initially.

However, Smith made an enduring mark in the 1916 World Series, three years before the Black Sox Scandal shook baseball to its core. He toed the rubber for Brooklyn in Game 2, his team having fallen behind the Boston Red Sox in the series

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”

Babe Ruth

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BRAVES FIELD, BO

two days earlier. Smith was not the original starter—that task was supposed to fall on Jack Coombs—but Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson played a hunch and instead called upon the soft-tossing lefty. Opposing him on the mound was a 21-yearold Baltimore native who would soon grow into a larger-thanlife cultural icon: George Herman Ruth. Known more for his craftiness as a pitcher than his talent as a hitter, Ruth had only swatted seven of his 714 career home runs by the time the 1916 season was complete. He was not yet “The Babe.”

Nearly 50,000 fans filed through the turnstiles at Braves Field in Boston on Oct. 9, 1916. Autumn was in the afternoon air, a sense of anticipation rippling across the park. Ruth entered his first World Series start on the heels of a remarkable regular season during which he had compiled a 23–12 record and led the American League in ERA (1.75), starts (40) and shutouts (nine). He was the unquestioned main event. To the surprise of almost everyone in attendance, Smith matched him pitch for pitch for 13 innings. Tied 1–1 in the bottom of the 14th, Boston broke the dam. Smith issued a leadoff walk to Dick Hoblitzell, who advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt from Duffy Lewis. After Mike McNally was inserted as a pinch runner, Del Gainer delivered a one-out single to left field to score the game-winning run. More than a century later, it remains one of the most memorable pitching duels in World Series history. It was Smith’s only appearance in the 1916 series, which Boston won in five games.

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John Thorn, the official historian for Major League Baseball, chronicled Smith’s efforts on Our Game, his MLB-hosted blog, in October 2018. The post was titled “When the Babe Played Second Fiddle” and shed renewed light on an overshadowed figure.

“History credits this as one of [Ruth’s] greatest pitching feats in one of the greatest seasons any pitcher ever had, but reporters covering the game were far less generous,” Thorn wrote. “In their telling, Sherry Smith was the story.”

Smith returned to the World Series with Brooklyn in 1920, and he was stellar in two starts against the Cleveland Indians— a team spearheaded by the great Tris Speaker. He fired a three-hitter in a 2–1 victory in Game 3, but he was outpitched

by Duster Mails in the decisive sixth game, as the Robins fell 1–0 and ultimately lost the series. Though his best days were behind him, Smith continued on for seven more seasons and even led the American League in complete games (22) in 1925.

Once he left baseball behind, Smith enjoyed a second iteration as a law enforcement officer and became the chief of police in Porterdale and Madison. He died at the age of 58 on Sept. 12, 1949 and was buried in Carmel Church Cemetery in Mansfield. Smith was posthumously inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1980, his accomplishments resonating decades after his death. His 0.89 career ERA in the World Series still ranks fourth on the all-time list for pitchers who have pitched a minimum of 30 innings in the Fall Classic, bested only by Madison Bumgarner (0.25), Harry Brecheen (0.83) and the aforementioned Ruth (0.87).

FANS AT THE 1916 WORLD SERIES

BRAVES FIELD, BO

OSTON

OSTON

A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

ance D LEADING THE

FOR INCLUSION

by KARI APTED

The Covington Regional Ballet strives to become a force for change using the language of dance to fully embrace inclusion and diversity in its dancers and dance forms.

Covington Regional Ballet Director Josh Schadl has held on to a dream since he joined the staff several years ago. “Inclusion,” he said. “That’s been a big mission of mine.” Schadl’s mission is well understood by those in the arts community. Although dance is a vital artistic expression in nearly every culture across the globe, the professional dance world has been slow to fully embrace diversity. Newton County Arts Association Executive Director Buncie Hay Lanners shares Schadl’s commitment to equal representation in the arts.

“I don’t want to follow in this endeavor for inclusion,” Lanners said. “I want to lead the way in making all dancers—that means all races, all types of hair, all body types—feel comfortable being who they are. I want everyone to feel comfortable celebrating using their bodies in dance.”

Established in 2001, the Covington Regional Ballet has expanded its offerings over the years to include jazz, Broadway, creative movement, hip hop and acting classes. Artistic Director

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Liz Stillerman grew up dancing with the CRB and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in dance performance and choreography from Elon University in North Carolina. After working with ballet ensembles from Jerusalem to Chicago, she returned to her hometown.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have a graduate of our programs teaching our students now,” said Lanners, who also offers high praise for Schadl. He performed with the Atlanta Ballet and studied at the National Taiwan University of the Arts. “Josh has been teaching for us for several years now, and he is beloved.

The kids just love him, and he’s very focused on the whole dancer. He believes in creating great kids, not just great dancers.

He and Liz are quite a team.”

The entire Covington Regional Ballet team is united in its mission to promote inclusion in dance, and it has preceded many professional dance companies in this regard.

“It matters a lot to me that we’re on the cutting edge of this and that we began before the 2020 awareness from Black Lives Matter,” Lanners said. “In last year’s Nutcracker ballet, our Clara was black. She wore skin-colored tights instead of the standard ballet tights, which is a big deal in the dance world.”

Traditionally, dance companies have required students of all ethnicities to wear generic flesh-colored tights and shoes, regardless of their individual skin tone. It is also a common requirement for girls to wear their hair in a smooth bun— a style that does not work well with all hair textures.

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“I want to lead the way in making all dancers—that means all races, all types of hair, all body types— feel comfortable being who they are. I want everyone to feel comfortable celebrating using their bodies in dance.”

Newton County Arts Association Executive Director Buncie Hay Lanners

“I want our dancers to be able to wear hairstyles that complement their natural hair, to wear protective hairstyles while they dance,” Schadl said.

The Covington Regional Ballet this fall will debut Motion Dance Ensemble, a new jazz and contemporary dance company for middle and high school students. Stillerman wants to get the word out on the program, which is open to dancers with any level of experience.

“The mission of our arts association is to share a love of the arts, but certain types of dance can feel exclusive to some,” Stillerman said. “We do love ballet, but it requires starting at a young age. We wanted to create a new opportunity for more people to feel welcome to express themselves through dance.”

Money should not be as much of an obstacle, either.

“Sometimes people are reluctant to commit to a dance company because of the financial obligation,” Stillerman said, “but thanks to a generous gift, participation in Motion Dance Ensemble is free for current CRB students.”

New students pay only a $25 registration fee to dance with MDE for the year, and the school offers a scholarship program for qualifying students interested in other classes. Award-winning Atlanta dancer Xavier Lewis serves as the resident choreographer for Motion Dance Ensemble. He brings over 10 years of experience in jazz, hip hop and contemporary dance instruction and has taught summer programs at CRB before. Lewis and Schadl encourage more males to give dancing a try, particularly in hip hop and jazz.

“We’re always looking for more guys,” Schadl said. “We are all about removing dance stereotypes related to gender.”

The school held a master class meeting on Sept. 12, but interested middle and high schoolers can still sign up for the weekly session. The Covington Regional Ballet plans to feature the new company at a number of community events, including the Lighting of The Square, the Fuzz Run and Relay for Life.

Lanners, Stillerman and Schadl find joy in leading the way on East Metro Atlanta’s path to dance inclusion.

“Representation in this day and age is so important,” Schadl said. “When kids see people that look like them doing this, they know, ‘Hey, this is accessible to me, as well.’”

For more information about Motion Dance Ensemble or other dance opportunities at the Covington Regional Ballet, call 770-786-8188. You can also visit them online at CovingtonRegionalBallet.com or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

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A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

“I tell anyone who’s thinking about learning music, if there’s something you want to do, it’s never too late to start something or to finish something you didn’t finish before.”

Scott Lansburg

ALL THE RIGHT NOTES

by GABRIEL STOVALL

Scott Lansburg finds purpose and fulfillment in shaping the next generation of guitarists, pianists and drummers at McKibben Music, a place where faith and tunes intersect.

Scott Lansburg views music as a ministry, which accounts for how he ended up shifting from a life of touring with bands and helping churches to becoming the instruction arm at McKibben Music in Covington. However, when Lansburg discusses the journey, he provides an overwhelming sense that he is as fulfilled now as he has ever been.

“Just to see the effectual change music has on people,” he said, “that’s where the ministry part comes.”

Maybe that explains why Lansburg formed such a strong bond with Mack McKibben, owner of McKibben Music on The Square in Covington. McKibben sees his shop as more of a sanctuary than just another place to purchase instruments, so when he opened it some 14 years ago, he knew he needed someone like Lansburg to help him make a spiritual impact on anyone who walked through the door.

“It wasn’t any guesswork for me when it came to bringing him on,” McKibben said. “I’ve been knowing Scott since we were kids.

He had an older brother who I played with in a band years ago when I used to travel. I call those years the dark ages. God delivered me and spared me.”

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McKibben’s shift to ministry provided a path for him to connect with his friend’s own heart for God. Born in Germany, Lansburg was the son of a military man. The family moved to Colorado when he was 2, later relocated to Conyers and then settled in Covington. After getting married, Lansburg spent seven years in Indiana before he returned to the place that felt most like home.

“I’ve always enjoyed Covington,” Lansburg said. “I’ve seen it change and I’ve seen different things here, but the people here have always felt like family.”

That deep connection made it easy for him to join forces with McKibben and use his considerable musical talents as a tool for ministry.

“He’s multitalented to the extreme,” McKibben said. “Guitar, bass, piano, drums—he plays them all well and teaches them

50 The Newton

all well. You’ve heard of the phrase ‘jack of all trades, master of none?’ Well, Scott’s the jack and master of all of them.”

Lansburg enjoyed success with various bands and on tour circuits. However, he began to see music as his ministry during the time he spent serving alongside Jeff Hay, the former worship leader at The Church at Covington. Lansburg found his true sweet spot teaching at McKibben Music.

“All those moments were fun for me,” he said. “It became a career for me at a very early age, but as far as the ministry part goes, I just felt compelled to move away from the institutional church. I’ve just changed my belief system a bit, and my ministry in music has become more personal for me instead of a hierarchy. It’s more me and my Maker doing what I’ve learned and helping people change in a positive way.”

McKibben and Lansburg reconnected at the store in 2008 or thereabouts. Over time, McKibben Music built up a cache of 11 teachers, but that number has fallen back to eight since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March. Lansburg was always the headliner.

“He’s got about 55 to 60 students a week,” McKibben said.

“He’s kind of the king of it here. Some guys are good musicians but aren’t good communicators. They can’t relate to the students. With Scott, the biggest problem we have with him is that none of his students ever want to leave.”

Lansburg indicated that his favorite teaching times are born out of discussions that do not even involve music. McKibben has seen it happen.

“They’ll go to a half-an-hour lesson and never play a note,” he said. “It’s just about connecting with people, and he’s just really into listening to his students and knowing them, and that’s why when I opened, I needed to make sure I had people here teaching and working who reflected my beliefs and my walk with Jesus Christ. I’ve been blessed with that. Because of people like Scott, it’s a real ministry here. It’s like family here. Day in and day out, it’s a way for people to come in and escape the pressures of life.”

Lansburg keeps a busy schedule while mentoring prospective musicians. Each student gives him another opportunity to see a life change through music, and usually that change manifests in his students accomplishing something they did not think was possible.

“I tell anyone who’s thinking about learning music, if there’s something you want to do, it’s never too late to start something or to finish something you didn’t finish before,” Lansburg said. “Just to see examples of people doing that, whether for fun or making some money from it, it just makes you feel good about it.”

McKibben understands perhaps better than anyone else the lasting impact Lansburg has made.

“This community’s got a gem in Scott,” he said, “and so many people don’t even know he’s here. I’m very fortunate and blessed to have him, and if he ever leaves, I tell him all the time, ‘I’m coming with you.’”

COADY’S CORNER

No One Size Fits All If students and their individual needs are not at the heart of our choices involving education, we risk losing them in the shuffle.

by DR. KIM COADY the community. Along with that, the involvement of politics at the local, state and federal level has diluted the purpose of education in some instances. Many times, a student is lost in the shuffle if he or she does not fit into the “plan” for the year. Recently, virtual education has become a larger part of the landscape for educating our students. For some students, it has been a wonderful experience because of the hard work that teachers have invested in the process. For others, it has not been the ideal format for learning.

Homeschooling is also a choice, as long as the student receives an education based on appropriate curriculum and effective instruction. Lastly, private school is an option that has always been available, but in recent years, with the passage of legislation that allows for state monies to be used for private school tuition, they have become a more viable choice for students.

Again, it comes back to choices. As we consider the available possibilities before us when deciding on one of the most important aspects of raising our children, we cannot lose sight of the most important part of the equation: the student.

Choices. So many choices. From a one-room schoolhouse to virtual learning, education runs the gamut today. It seems safe to say that this plethora of choices causes parents and educators a great deal of angst when determining the best route for students. However, the element that must be considered first and foremost is the student.

When making decisions about the education of a child, we have to keep in mind the needs of the student. Schools should no longer be operating like factories, and students should not be churned out as the newest make and model, all adhering to the same specifications. Trying to make every student fit into a specific mold has caused a tremendous amount of frustration for all involved. When we look at each student, we must consider the option that is best for the individual.

While our public schools are best equipped to offer the differentiation required for our students, they are tasked with taking on many roles that once belonged to other entities within

Dr. Kim Coady is the former principal at East Newton Elementary School. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and specialist’s degrees in early childhood education from Georgia College and State University and her PhD in Teaching and Learning: Language and Literacy at Georgia State University.

“Schools should no longer be operating like factories, and students should not be churned out as the newest make and model, all adhering to the same specifications.”

Dr. Kim Coady 2020 Fall Issue 51

LIVING

OUR OWN SLICE OF

AMERIC

by NAT HARWELL

Henderson’s Restaurant shuttered its doors in 2017 after lifting the spirits of its loyal customers for more than half a century. Gone but not forgotten, it lives on in the hearts of those who made it such an iconic place.

My first encounter with Newton County was in the summer of 1957. I remember, as a 6-year-old, riding in the back seat of our family’s 1953 Chevrolet BelAir with my younger brother as our family moved from Decatur to the tiny hamlet of Greensboro. The Chevy had no air conditioning, and because there was not yet an Interstate 20, we found ourselves on what seemed to be an unending two-lane blacktop called Highway 278. Suddenly, however, that two-lane roadway opened into a wide, multi-lane road as we entered Covington. I had no way of knowing that Highway 278 used to follow Clark and Floyd streets through the historic town square and that the wide-open four-lane was a recent development. What I did know was that our BelAir was pulling into the one building in a forest of pine trees where Newton Plaza stands. That building then, as it remains today, was Dairy Queen.

Our dad had decided to give us all a break from the hot summer ride with an ice cream cone. Little did I realize that almost 20 years to that very day my wife and I would move to Newton County to put down roots and raise a family.

As a 6-year-old, I had no idea that the four-lane with the Dairy Queen in the middle of a pine forest would one day be the major thoroughfare, populated with businesses ranging from fast food restaurants and automobile dealerships to shopping plazas. Nor did I realize that Clarence Reese Henderson Sr. and his wife, Frances Johnson Henderson, had made the momentous decision a year earlier to move their growing restaurant enterprise out to the country.

The Annex, as it was first known, had operated on Emory Street since 1948, across from what is now Covington City Hall. Open from 5 a.m. until midnight, it served three meals a day to four tables and six counter stools and even featured curbside service. However, the booming business had outgrown the location by 1956, and after much encouragement from friends and customers, Clarence took the plunge and moved to a little grocery store he and Frances had purchased from Bryant Steele in 1954. It was located where Steele Road intersected with Highway 36, and it was there that Frances’ father, Curtis Johnson, had been running a little grocery store known as Johnson’s Trading Post. I knew

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ANA

2020 Fall Issue 55

LIVING CLARENCE REESE HENDERSON SR. AT THE ANNEX

none of that as I slurped down my rapidly melting ice cream cone in the back of our 1953 Chevy on a hot summer day in 1957. I could not have surmised that the little grocery store would become the largest dining room at the newly christened Henderson’s Restaurant.

My dad’s parents lived near the Druid Hills Country Club on Clifton Road in Atlanta, and over the next three years, until their deaths in 1960, our family made frequent trips from Greensboro to visit them. I came to know every little bump and curve on Highway 278, traveling westward from Greensboro to

“I sat in astonishment as that little girl who loved the ‘Grand Ole Opry’ went up and down each side of a fingerling catfish like a doggone typewriter carriage, then chewed off the crunchy tail, tossed the bare bones skeleton on a platter and dove into another one.”

Nat Harwell

56 The Newton

Greshamville to Madison to Rutledge to where the road split off toward Social Circle. Finally, it reached Covington, where those magical four lanes allowed traffic to disperse and guided us past the all-important Dairy Queen.

When my grandparents died, our frequent trips through Newton County diminished.

That same year, a family I did not know from east Atlanta had purchased a 100-foot-wide lot on a reservoir known as Jackson Lake. There, Troy Drummond Sr. fashioned and erected a little fishing cabin to use for weekend getaways and family vacations. His daughter, Louise Drummond, relished the trips to Newton County, not only for the chance to learn to ski behind her dad’s 1959 Feathercraft Vagabond and the opportunity to listen to the “Grand Ole Opry” on Saturday nights but for the Saturday suppers at Henderson’s Restaurant.

I could never have suspected then that my path would cross Louise Drummond’s years later at what was then Georgia Southern College in Statesboro. I had no idea that in the early 1970s, while visiting with her family at Jackson Lake, we would be eating supper at Henderson’s Restaurant.

It was along about 1972 that the little boy who was sweating in the back seat of a 1953 Chevy and the little girl who loved weekends at Jackson Lake walked into what had once been Johnson’s Trading Post and were introduced to Clarence and his lovely wife, Frances. No sooner than we had been seated, bowls of the best hushpuppies ever made on planet Earth arrived, piping hot, along with the best sweet iced tea ever poured in a Georgia restaurant.

Shortly thereafter, I sat in astonishment as that little girl who loved the “Grand Ole Opry” went up and down each side of a fingerling catfish like a doggone typewriter carriage, then chewed off the crunchy tail, tossed the bare bones skeleton on a platter and dove into another one.

How could a 6-year-old in a ’53 BelAir have known that he and that little girl from Stoneybrook Drive off Moreland Avenue would raise three children in Covington? How could he have expected to meet the entire Henderson family over those years or to come to know David Henderson, who kept the restaurant going even as he practiced law after Clarence Jr. passed away in 2006? How could he have foreseen that he would become friends with Clarice Dozier, who taught math for many years, and Deborah Robertson, who rose up through the ranks to become Associate Superintendent of Newton County Schools, as well as their youngest sister, Mary Ann, all of whom worked at the family restaurant from time to time? How could that little boy have known that his own children would one day

be friends with the fourth generation of Hendersons, all of whom worked in the family business during their high school and college years?

Henderson’s Restaurant—which was forced to close on May 16, 2017, when the Georgia Department of Transportation widened Highway 36 at that vital intersection and obliterated the parking lot—represented the best of Americana. The old-timers in these parts who came to love Sunday luncheons after church and the Wednesday night family dinners all will remember seeing familiar faces while “the salt of the earth” gathered in the dining room. Conversations ranged across what was once Johnson’s Trading Post with friends and pillars of society who remain the best folks you will ever meet. All the while, bowls of those amazing hushpuppies appeared and disappeared, and the secret recipe for Henderson’s coleslaw, coupled with the best fried catfish to be found, made for unforgettable times. In the latter years, one of the sweetest moments came at check-out time. There, poised on her chair behind the cash register, was Miss Frances, and she would always let you know how much they appreciated you personally and your coming to eat with them.

I wonder if Clarence Sr. ever imagined how meaningful a place in Newton County history his establishment—and his family—would occupy back when he opened The Annex on Emory Street. I wonder if all the folks connected with operating the restaurant, out front or behind the scenes, even suspect what an important role they played in countless people’s lives.

Henderson’s Restaurant may be closed now, but in this old man’s heart and memory, it will be open forever.

LIVING

58 The Newton

‘L A U G H T E R IS THE BEST M E D I C I N E’

by KARI APTED

Retired pharmacist Steve Aldridge found a second career as a ventriloquist and magician, using humor to better the world and bring joy to others one smile at a time.

Retired pharmacist Steve Aldridge admits there was one powerful remedy he did not learn about in pharmacy school: “They didn’t teach me that laughter is the best medicine.”

A firm believer in humor’s healing power, Aldridge now enjoys a second career as a professional ventriloquist and magician.

He and his entertaining troupe of dummies frequently perform for church groups, day care centers and senior citizens. One of Aldridge’s most popular dummies, Luther, bears an uncanny resemblance to former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

“I started messing around with new material when Bernie was really hot last year,” Aldridge said. “Luther is an equalopportunity puppet; he’s political but non-partisan.”

Luther and Aldridge like riffing on the current political climate.

“Politicians get a lot of exercise,” Aldridge said.

“Yes, they do,” Luther retorted. “Running their mouths, jumping to conclusions and stretching the truth.”

“You’d have to be a dummy to want to be a politician,” Aldridge said, his cohort responding with a long, blank stare.

“Luther, do you have patience for people?”

“I do,” Luther said. “It’s my tolerance for idiots that needs work.”

Aldridge caters his show to each specific audience, noting that ventriloquism requires a storyline, not just telling joke after joke.

“Probably 80 percent of my work is done for seniors, and that topic is a whole show right there,” said Aldridge, adding that he wants his senior audiences to forget their aches and pains for a little while as they enjoy a good laugh. “Church, politics, the doctor’s office—there are lots of lines just in these three areas.”

A board-certified geriatric pharmacist, Aldridge naturally became familiar with what makes elderly audiences tick.

Between 1991 and 2008, he was a frequent guest on famed radio host Ludlow Porch’s show, answering health- and medicationrelated questions. At the height of his radio career, Porch was broadcast on 65 stations across the southeast.

2020 Fall Issue 59

LIVING

“You just watch things going on and think about how to find the humor in it. Then you edit it to fit your target audience. Cecil, my country bumpkin dummy, and I have a seven-minute spiel on the new pastor at church. It’s a favorite with church groups and seniors.”

Steve Aldridge

“I was really nervous during that first show,” Aldridge said.

“It was the fastest three hours of my life, but when it was over, I thought, ‘I can do this.’ It was great training for performing in front of a live audience.”

Although storytelling is a major part of a successful ventriloquism career, Aldridge does not consider himself a professional writer—even though his creative talents were detected early.

“When I started my second English course at [the University of Georgia], my teacher told me to go into journalism,” he said.

“I think she was disappointed when I told her I was going into pharmacy instead.”

Aldridge has become a pro at finding comedy everywhere he looks.

60 The Newton

“You just watch things going on and think about how to find the humor in it,” he said. “Then you edit it to fit your target audience. Cecil, my country bumpkin dummy, and I have a seven-minute spiel on the new pastor at church. It’s a favorite with church groups and seniors.”

Aldridge also credits late comedian Red Skelton with inspiring his tales.

“I love going to the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee,” he said. “Few young people have heard of Red Skelton today, but his skits are still totally relevant. He did a lot of pantomime in his shows, just a lot of comical, goofy stuff that still makes people laugh.”

The self-taught ventriloquist also learned how to perform magic tricks on his own. He incorporates them into his shows to add variety—and to give his voice a break.

“Ventriloquism can be very hard on the voice,” Aldridge said. “Adding magic tricks to my shows creates pauses for my voice to recover.”

Aldridge always had an interest in magic tricks and credits a Texas magic shop owner with teaching him the basics.

“My son lived near a magic store in Ft. Worth, Texas,” he said. “When I’d visit my son, I’d go to the shop. I was interested in magic but didn’t know how to do any tricks.

At the time, I was doing a lot of talks to seniors about Alzheimer’s and depression, so I asked the magic shop’s owner to show me some tricks that I could use in those talks to keep them interesting. That shop owner was a good mentor for me.”

Aldridge hones his skills by attending an annual magic convention in Pigeon Forge, where other magicians reveal how their tricks are done. He now has over 55 different magic tricks in his bag and especially loves the reactions he gets from school-aged children.

“Today’s kids are really smart,” Aldridge said. “You do magic tricks for them, and at first, they aren’t impressed. They say, ‘I know how you did that. I saw that on YouTube.’ So then I have to pull out something they don’t know, and their jaws drop. They’re like, ‘How did you do that?’ It’s a lot of fun to watch their faces change.”

Aldridge, Luther, Cecil, Carlos the Parrot and Fluffy the Chicken are still accepting show bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic, eager to spread their belief in the healing power of laughter.

You can book a show by contacting Aldridge at radiopharmacy@yahoo.com.

LIVING

Good Taste

by MICHELLE FLOYD

Greg and Lisa Cavender opened Hot Rod’s Diner in Social Circle a little more than seven years ago despite no experience in the restaurant business. Quality food, strong faith and a committed family have since made it one of the most popular east-of-Atlanta eating destinations.

A family with no history in the restaurant business has managed to operate one of the most popular restaurants in the Newton County area for the last seven years. Greg and Lisa Cavender opened Hot Rod’s Diner in Social Circle on Tax Day in 2013, taking it over from a previous owner. The restaurant location originally debuted in 2008 under Louis Van Dyke, the late owner of the historic Blue Willow Inn. Greg was a homebuilder in Walton and Gwinnett counties when he and his wife of 27 years decided to take their heart for outreach and dive into uncertainty.

“Lisa and I have always served in some capacity at our churches, so this was an extension of that,” he said. “You have to have a love of people and [and a love for] serving people to be in the restaurant business. We get a lot of pleasure serving people.”

While he manages the back of the house in the kitchen, Lisa mostly runs the front of the house and wait staff. Their two sons, Levi and Eli, also work at the restaurant, and their daughters, Kristen and Bethany, enjoy dining there with their families. Greg points to their success as a collective effort.

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“This was something we wanted to do together as a family,” he said. “That’s been the biggest struggle and biggest blessing because we see each other 24 hours a day. It’s taken some adjustments, but I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to spend every day with my wife and kids.”

Previously a stay-at-home mom who homeschooled their children, Lisa admits it can be difficult working long hours nearly every day of the week at Hot Rod’s, which sits just off Highway 11 behind the Blue Willow Inn. However, the positives of serving people from all over the state and beyond far outweigh any hardships.

“It’s like a mission field every day,” she said. “The Lord sits in front of me who I need to minister to. When people come in, I get to know a lot of the regulars—[and] not just what they like to eat. I get involved in their lives.”

The restaurant has earned several Tripadvisor awards and touts the Philly cheesesteak, bacon cheeseburger and Reuben sandwich as its best sellers. It also offers salads, chicken wings, hot dogs and desserts like milkshakes, banana splits and blow-your-hairback peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Adjacent to the restaurant sits its special event space, which has a capacity of 50 people and has an hourly rental rate. The room comes complete with tables, chairs, a bar area and televisions.

Bethlehem’s Ron Gregory and Covington-area resident Bob Mathews have met almost weekly at Hot Rod’s for the last four years, even when the restaurant struggled through coronavirus restrictions. Their picture is among the many that adorn the walls at Hot Rod’s, along with classic posters, old records and references to a bygone era—a snapshot into the classic diners of the 1950s and 1960s.

“Besides having the wonderful nostalgia, they have a daily Blue Plate Special and fresh food,” Gregory said. “We have never found anything that we didn’t like. It’s a great meeting place, and they take good care of us.”

“This was something we wanted to do together as a family.

That’s been the biggest struggle and biggest blessing because we see each other 24 hours a day. It’s taken some adjustments, but I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to spend every day with my wife and kids.”

Hot Rod’s Diner Owner Greg Cavender

2020 Fall Issue 63