HOME Living in North Georgia magazine

Winter | 2015

Trendy holiday decor; Eagle Ranch turns 30; and olive oil is booming in Georgia

Comprehensive cancer care close to home

Surgery, Chemotherapy and NOW – Radiation Therapy Comprehensive cancer care by the experts at Georgia’s #1 hospital is now in Braselton. With the addition of Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton’s state-of-the-art radiation therapy suite, our community now has access to the most advanced cancer fighting technologies and services available, including: • TrueBeam linear accelerator, providing radiation therapy with pinpoint accuracy and precision • Chemotherapy and infusion services • Cutting edge surgery techniques including minimally invasive and robotic surgery options • Advanced imaging technologies for the most accurate diagnosis • Nationally trained cancer specialists • Access to nationwide clinical trials and patient navigation services

Meet the cancer specialists in Braselton at nghs.com/cancer-braselton

What’s Inside

Winter | 2015

8 36 Inside Every Issue 6 46 48

From the Editor

Taste

Calendar

8 Braselton welcomes new steakhouse, Cotton Calf

Around Town

Kitchen. Chef Javier Viera shows off his stunning dishes.

On the Cover Gainesville interior designer Maggie Griffin shows us how to decorate our homes for the holidays without going overboard and keeping some of those precious heirlooms front and center.

Page 22

Get to know 12

Riverside Military Academy's Director of Alumni Relations Errol Bisso shares his memories. Several RMA grads have led notable lives.

Lifestyle 16

Aardvark Antiques owner Charles Pharr tells readers how to find a good appraiser and what has his antiques doing more than sitting in a showroom.

Photo by Alexandra Haynes 4

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12 30 18 42

Charity 18

Eagle Ranch was a mere idea in the early 80s until founder Eddie Staub made the dream a reality.

Now the nonprofit celebrates 30 years of helping at-risk youth.

Business 30

Milton Martin Toyota opens its new home in Oakwood with more cars and luxurious amenities.

32

Ivy Mountain Distillery is seeing a popularity never thought of back in the days of illegal moonshining.

And that's perfectly fine with the Lovell family.

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There's a new fruit sprouting from trees in Georgia, and it, too, has a pit. Olives are big business as extra virgin olive oil gains in popularity.

42

Chateau Elan takes a chance on a native grape.

The muscadine now make up the vineyards at the Braselton resort.

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From the Editor

From harvest to home Grapes have been stomped, leaves have fallen and pumpkins are turning into pie. Winter is upon us in North Georgia, but that doesn't mean it's time to hibernate.

We can still get out and explore new places and meet new faces.

Head to Braselton for a meal at the new Cotton Calf Kitchen (page 8) and meet chef Javier Viera.

Or truck over to Chateau Elan and talk with executive winemaker Simone Bergese while sampling some of the muscadine wine (page 42).

If whiskey is more your taste, go north to Mount Airy and get a tour of the Ivy Mountain Distillery from Mike Yearwood and see how corn and rye become sour mash goodness

Editor/Designer Michelle Boaen Jameson Advertising Director Charlotte Atkins Advertising Sales Melisa Sizemore HOME Magazine, a division of: The Times Gainesville, GA A Morris Multimedia Inc. property 345 Green St. | Gainesville, GA 30501 | 770-718-3421

www.homemagazinenorthgeorgia.com

(page 32).

This issue also takes us south, way south, to the booming business of Georgiagrown olives and Gainesville's Maggie Griffin shows us how to decorate our homes for the holidays without going overboard (save the tacky for Christmas sweaters). Enjoy!

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ichelle ameson

Michelle Boaen Jameson editor@homemagazinenorthgeorgia.com 6

Winter | 2015

HOME: Living in North Georgia reserves the right to refuse advertisements for any reason. Acceptance of advertising does not mean or imply the services or product is endorsed or recommended by HOME: Living in North Georgia. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Morris Multimedia Inc. Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of published materials, Morris Multimedia cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

Manuscripts, artwork, photography, inquiries and submitted materials are welcome.

HOME Living

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Northside Hospital is the Preferred Healthcare Partner of the Atlanta Falcons.

And their fans.

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Cotton Calf

Kitchen

Restaurant brings the sizzle of high end steakhouse to Braselton Story by Farah Bohannon Photos courtesy Cotton Calf Kitchen Braselton’s newest, high-end steakhouse, Cotton Calf Kitchen, has been hustling and bustling since mid-September, serving up high quality cuts of meat and other flavorful dishes.

It is located inside the Historic Braselton Brothers Store complex, which has been an ideal spot for this much needed restaurant. Townspeople as well as town council members have mentioned for months that Braselton lacked a dining establishment and gathering spot like Cotton Calf Kitchen, and thanks to General Manager and Partner Hudson Tang, this dream has 8

Winter | 2015

become a reality.

“In Braselton, there was really no true place for people to gather,” Tang said. “I also believe that Braselton is growing and is the next big thing. Everything is pushing out of Atlanta, and into the towns and cities that surround it. Town officials are also supportive of this growth. The public and private sectors are aligned.”

Tang came to Braselton after operating the popular Manchester Pub in New York City, and now brings the sizzle of a HOME Living

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big-city steakhouse to Braselton. He believes that the historic preservation in Braselton, combined with the area’s vision for a live, work and play environment, has made fall 2015 an exciting time to launch the Cotton Calf brand.

The name of the restaurant, Cotton Calf Kitchen, pays tribute to the historic Braselton cotton gin building across the street, as well as to the restaurant’s cuisine. Tang does not consider Cotton Calf Kitchen as a “fine dining establishment,” though the quality and taste of the food matches that description. The atmosphere is inviting and the staff approachable.

Tang says that there is nothing stuffy about his restaurant, and his desire is for guests to feel welcome, warm and at home. Hospitality, great service and unforgettable fare is what guests will experience.

The restaurant’s Hospitality Manager, Steven Morris, helps makes that statement true. He is also experienced in the hospitality and restaurant field, coming from

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Opposite page: The lounge area of the bar.; Cotton Calf Kitchen General Manager and Partner Hudson Tang. Below: Dining area and high top seating near the bar offer a casual yet contemporary feel. the popular New York Prime Steakhouse in Buckhead.

“Cotton Calf Kitchen is a place for people to gather,” said Tang. “They can come for dinner, or simply relax at the bar.”

The bar includes a carefully curated beverage menu spotlighting craft beers,

small-batch whiskeys, bourbons, classic cocktails and a wine list.

At this warm, inviting dining establishment, complete with hand-picked decor from Partner Cindy Green, visitors can expect their steaks to be “done right,” according to Lead Chef Javier Viera.

“Our steaks are placed into a 1,700-degree broiler, where the heat cooks the steak from the top,” said Viera. “The drippings remain on the steak, instead of falling off, meaning the flavors are stronger and a beautiful crust seals the steak perfectly.

Even a well-done steak will be juicy.”

Viera, former executive chef of Communitas Hospitality in Midtown Atlanta, said he is thrilled to be employed at Cotton Calf Kitchen in Braselton. He lives in Buford, and enjoys his much shorter commute which has opened up more time doing what he loves instead of sitting in traffic. In fact, he plans to move to Braselton in the next year or so.

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Viera comes from a family with a passion for cooking, which is what led him to become a chef. He is the son of a baker and pastry chef, and family gatherings were always a hit with a wide variety of delicious food to enjoy. Viera wants his restaurant guests to experience the same feelings, and believes that Cotton Calf Kitchen will allow him to do just that.

His culinary career started when he became a busboy in Stamford, Conn., and he continued to develop his skills.

He landed his first executive chef position at age 23.

At Communitas Hospitality, which includes G’s Midtown,10th & Piedmont and HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern, the chef ’s modern Argentinian and Italian styles of cooking impressed diners. Viera also served as the executive chef of Divan Restaurant in Atlanta for three years. Prior to that, he was executive chef of Chart House in Dobbs Ferry in New York; was a corporate trainer at Morton’s Steakhouse in Manhattan; and was director of operations for the opening parties of Trump Towers.

Tang firmly believes that Viera’s culinary talent will drive Cotton Calf Kitchen to success.

“Not only do we benefit from his experience and unique vision for our signature steak menu, but we also have an

opportunity to showcase his small plates and tapas artistry for our bar and lounge menu,” he said.

Bar and lounge menu items include light and crunchy salmon tostadas; a colossal shrimp cocktail; lamb lollipops that burst with flavor and juice; and much more. Viera mentioned altering the menu from time to time, just to introduce new flavors and textures, but the dinner menu will always remain the same.

Two of the most popular steaks are the 16-ounch Delmonico ribeye and the petite filet mignon. Although Cotton Calf Kitchen is a steakhouse, there are other options just as delicious as the steaks: garlic butter chicken, double cut veal chop and the wild Alaskan salmon filet are all wonderful, to name a few.

The soups and salads are to die for as well, one of them a local heirloom tomato salad with fresh gorgonzola cheese.

“We treat our ingredients with respect,” Viera said.

“When I make the crabcake, I do not go crazy adding 30 or 40 ingredients.

The crab meat is of high quality, so I do not want to compromise the flavor of the actual meat.”

Chef Javier Viera

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Winter | 2015

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Clockwise: Lump crab cake appetizer; roasted root vegetables; smoked salmon tostadas and seared lamb chops.

Opposite page: Lead Chef Javier Viera.

“When I make the crabcake, I do not go crazy adding 30 or 40 ingredients. The crab meat is of high quality, so I do not want to compromise the flavor of the actual meat. We keep things simple, but flavorful. This goes for all menu items.”

All vegetables are locally grown, and the meat is processed in the United States.

A 20-seat outdoor patio facing Braselton’s amphitheater will be ready in time for coolweather dining this fall. A private dining room perfect for business meetings and special prix fixe chef ’s menu tasting events is also planned for the space.

Located just three miles from Chateau Elan and a short drive off Interstate 85 just off Highway 53 at 9924 Davis St., in downtown Braselton, Cotton Calf Kitchen will be open

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daily for cocktails and bar menu items from 4-11 p.m., and dinner starting at 5.

For more information, email info@cottoncalf.com or visit cottoncalf.com, facebook.com/cottoncalf and instagram.com/cottoncalf.

Winter | 2015

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home get to know

Riverside Military Academy “Coach” Errol Bisso shares his memories and love of the job Story by Pamela A. Keene Photos courtesy Riverside Military Academy

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Winter | 2015

After 55 years at Riverside Military Academy, you could say Errol Bisso knows more about the private college-preparatory school than just about anyone else on campus. Ask him for anecdotes about anything in the past six decades, and the corners of his mouth smile just a little. The twinkle in his eyes gives him away.

A member of the class of 1961, Bisso recalls the fire in 1959, when the day after students and staff reported to the Hollywood, Fla., campus for the winter term, the main building burned down.

“We all got there on a Sunday and the building burned down the next day,” he says. “We were all back in Gainesville by Friday. Imagine moving all those students back to Gainesville after just two days. In those days, everything at the school moved to Florida in the winter, even the mattresses.”

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And then there are the tales of cadets through the years who have found resourceful and creative ways to make a little extra spending money.

“One boy would purchase steaks during our weekly trips into town on Saturday and on Sunday he’d grill them up and sell them. Cadets did laundry or ran errands for other boys, and in my day cadets often paid fellow cadets to do their daily morning coal shoveling to keep the heat going. Riverside in many ways has become an incubator for the entrepreneurial spirit.”

Bisso excelled in sports at Riverside, and when he returned to Gainesville after earning his degree from Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., he took on coaching duties in addition to teaching American and world history. To this day, everyone

on campus calls him “Coach.”

His wife Barbara — they’ve been married 50 years — is known as “Mama Bisso,” and between the two of them, they’ve interacted with just about every student who has come through Riverside since the mid-1960s. The couple’s son Richard graduated from Riverside. They also have a daughter, Maria.

Bisso was named to the RMA Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 for his accomplishments in football, wrestling and coaching.

He’s one of the few graduates who have been recognized with the Hall of Fame award and as a Distinguished Alumni, inducted in 2011. Richard Bisso, class of ’85, was inducted into the RMA Sports Hall of Fame during homecoming in October.

Over the years, Bisso not only taught history and coached football, wrestling, track and golf, he also served as registrar and as a guidance counselor. He was director of alumni relations when then-new Academy President Col. James H. Benson arrived on campus in 2009.

Since then, Bisso has actively worked to reconnect alumni and bring graduates back to campus for homecoming each fall. It’s a big task for which he’s well suited because of his outgoing personality, his institutional knowledge and his longevity at Riverside.

“There was a time when alumni were not Left: The campus of particularly welcome back on campus for a variety Riverside Military of reasons, but, under Col. Benson, alumni have Academy is in the heart returned in large numbers to Homecoming and of Gainesville. Below: Founders’ Day reunions,” says Amanda Griffin, vice Errol and Barbara Bisso. president for advancement. “They return to see Coach Bisso as well as see each other. There is a strong bond between these men and they have forged friendships that last a lifetime.”

“We’re making great headway in locating and reconnecting alumni from over the years,” he says. “It’s good to see our students come back to Homecoming and share their successes since graduation with their classmates and those who came before and after them. Riverside Military Academy continues its legacy.”

See a Who’s Who of alumni on page 14.

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Winter | 2015

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home get to know

Riverside Alumni: A Global Who’s Who Story by Pamela A. Keene Photos courtesy RMA War heroes, international elected officials, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, star athletes, entertainers and entrepreneurs in myriad businesses: In its 108-year history, Riverside Military Academy’s graduates continue to make a difference on the economy, politics, entertainment and sports.

Some names are easily recogniz-

able in Georgia, the U.S. and around the world: John W. Jacobs Jr. (1940), founder of Jacobs Media, Gainesville; James Earl Carter Sr. (1911), father of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; John Douglas Bassett (1955), thirdgeneration furniture industry executive; Norman P. Blake Jr. (1960), CEO of three Fortune 500 companies and former member of the United States Olympic Committee; Felix Arturo Gonzalez Canto (1986), former

“Many alumni tell me they have been successful in their careers because of the leadership skills they learned at Riverside.”

Top row: Fredy Marrufo, John Bassett and Felix Arturo Gonzalez Canto; middle row: John Jacobs, Norman P. Blake Jr., Pablo Espinosa and Bobby Greenwood. Right: Henry Russell “Red” Sanders and Leroy Raffel.

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Winter | 2015

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governor of Quintana Roo, Mexico; Tommy Protho (1938), college and professional football coach, College Football Hall of Fame inductee 1991; Bobby Greenwood (1957), professional golfer and lifetime member of the PGA of America; Pablo Espinosa (1987), movie and television actor; Kenneth I. Harms (1956), former chief of police in Miami; Leroy Raffel (1944), co-founder of Arby’s; Henry Russell “Red” Sanders (1938), former head football coach at Vanderbilt and UCLA; Jerry B. Blackstock (1962), Georgia trial lawyer; Fredy Marrufo (1990), mayor of Cozumel, Mexico.

“Our graduates are the cream of the crop and have come here from all over the world,” says Errol Bisso, director of alumni relations at Riverside Military Academy. “RMA has been a great incubator for entrepreneurs, the training ground for accomplished athletes and the institution that has shaped government and corporate leaders.”

“Many alumni tell me they have been successful in their careers because of the leadership skills they learned at Riverside,” says Amanda Griffin, vice president for advancement.

“At a young age, as they attain rank in the corps, cadets are given oversight over their peers. They learn how to lead, including when to admonish and when to encourage. For some young men, it comes easily and they continue in that role the rest of their careers. For others, it’s a process they learn, sometimes the hard way, but it remains a powerful lesson for the rest of their lives.”

The school’s enrollment of slightly more than 515 cadets comes from 26 countries and 30 states. Seventy percent are from the United States; nearly 30 percent travel internationally to attend. Students from China and Mexico currently comprise the largest international contingent.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, boys from Cuba came to Gainesville in the pre-Castro days for their educations; some returned home and others stayed in the states or moved abroad. Griffin says that living with young men from all over the world 24/7 also teaches tolerance and acceptance, and provides insight into various cultures.

One hundred percent of Riverside’s graduates are accepted to college. Several each year attend the nation’s military service academies. In fact, Riverside holds the distinction of having the most graduates of any high school in the nation currently attending West Point.

“Of course, not all of our cadets will have military careers, but the foundation that these boys receive here — the discipline, the structure and the regimentation — helps set the lifetime course for every graduate,” Bisso says. “They learn leadership and responsibility that they will take with them to college and their career. And they are making connections that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. ”

D4Y is next to Walmart & Sam’s Club, across the street from the college.

www.Dentistry4You.net

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It’s worth how much?

Finding the right appraiser is key; Aardvark Antiques owner Charles Pharr tells us how

Story by HOME staff Photos courtesy Aardvark Antiques

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Winter | 2015

Walk into Aardvark Antiques in Oakwood and you are immediately surrounded by a maze of furniture, wares and art.

Room after room houses big, beautiful pieces that once graces the homes of lavish estates.

Amazingly enough, owner Charles Pharr and his wife Belle have no problem moving stock. Items rotate out pretty regularly and Pharr says he's always getting new shipments in.

"You rarely see a U-Haul following behind the hearse," he says jokingly.

But lately, something else is keeping his goods in action. The film industry, he says,

has been a boon to his business.

Studios filming in North Georgia are calling Pharr to supply them with pieces for their movies and television shows. He's rented out items for use on "Vampire Diaries" several times he says.

And recently a movie starring Melissa McCarthy used one of his largest tables for the boardroom scene in the film.

They always treat his pieces with the utmost care he notes. It's a win-win for both sides.

However, selling antiques isn't the only thing Pharr specializes in. He's also been on television himself, making appearances as HOME Living

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an appraiser. Pharr has made several guest appearances on the Discovery Channel's "Auction Kings."

And he really knows his stuff. Pharr has accreditations from the International Society of Appraisers, a federally-recognized organization dedicated to advancing the professionalism and effectiveness of personal property appraisers, and from the American Association of Appraisers.

Accreditation is one of the factors Pharr suggests looking for first when trying to find an appraiser for what you may think is an heirloom. And he's had to gently let down people before.

"Their family heirloom they've had 'for generations' can sometimes turnout to be worthless, but you don't want to humiliate them. You have to let them down easy," says Pharr.

He suggests doing a little research first. Make sure the ap-

Celebrating Over

Years of Service 1983-2015

praiser can come to your home. "Don’t risk damaging sensitive materials in transportation. Most appraisers are willing to travel due to the nature of the business."

Find out the appraiser’s area of expertise. "There are various sub-specialties in antiques appraising in which you want to be confident that your appraiser is fluent and is an expert in."

Seek out an appraiser from your local antique store and ask if they are familiar with any local appraisers. And always ask if they have any former or current clients in which you can speak with, or get more information from. Word of mouth can be best way to find an expert.

For more or to talk with Pharr, call 770-534-6611 or visit the shop at 4316 Mundy Mill Rd., in Oakwood and online at www.aardvark-antiques.com.

home charity

Eagle Ranch

Story and photos by HOME staff Eddie Staub couldn’t fully picture it at the time, but need drives vision.

Crouched inside an aging cattle barn in the fall of 1983, exposed to the bugs and brisk weather and seeing his own breath, Staub spoke politely into the phone. With four sacks of concrete for a desk, he scribbled numbers and names

Nonprofit celebrates 30 years of helping at-risk youth

— potential donors. Southern Bell had agreed to run a line into the barn, and other than the voice on the other end and his dog, Connor, he was alone out there in the woods of Chestnut Mountain.

Out across 180 acres of overgrown pasture and woods, he couldn’t yet picture the homes that would be built as the years

ticked by. The land they would flood, creating a 10-acre lake, which would be stocked with game fish. The impact on thousands of lives, instilling in young minds the notion that God loves them, and there’s a future full of hope, no matter what they’re going through.

Staub had some ideas about what he

Eagle Ranch founder Eddie Staub.

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wanted to see on the soon-to-be site of Eagle Ranch, but it would take time.

There was a need; he knew that much.

The vision started taking shape 30 years ago when the first child, Scott, moved into what would come to be known as the Faith Home. Like so many future residents of Eagle Ranch, Scott was having problems at home and school.

His story would align with many others who would stay there over the next three decades.

Today, Eagle Ranch houses 42 boys and 22 girls on 270 acres of land that features, in addition to residences, a chapel, multipurpose gym, school, general store, equine therapy center and a lodge in which boys, girls and their house parents dine and watch movies together.

The typical young person at Eagle Ranch comes there for a stint of about 18 months to two years.

“The overarching theme is that things at home just can’t be resolved,” said Staub, founder and director of the not-for-profit Christian organization. “It’s chronically not getting better. Our goal is to reunite these children back home.”

Stefanie Long, director of communications, said before children come to stay at Eagle Ranch “their families have already tried traditional means of correction.

They’ve gone to counselors, tried to work with their schools. They realize something’s got to happen.”

Staub said about half of the children who stay are raised by single moms, and about 20 percent are raised by grandparents.

“We try to get kids on the front end of going down a difficult road, one that’s not going to be easy to correct,” Staub said. “If you wait too long, it’s hard to get that child back.”

With more than 50 full-time staff members, employees of Eagle Ranch aim to “teach the ability to communicate in a healthy way,” Long said. homemagazinenorthgeorgia.com

Eagle Ranch student Matthew relaxes during reading time.

Eagle Ranch teacher Kim Flory helps her students with algebra problems recently during math class at the south Hall County children’s home.

“A lot of times, (the children) are feeling a certain way, and they’ll take it out with anger,” Long said. “That’s a big part of what we do, as well as strengthening relationships within a family and rebuilding Winter | 2015

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home charity

Clockwise: This barn, the only existing structure on Eagle Ranch’s property in the early 1980s, served as founder Eddie Staub’s office.

Eddie Staub, right, reviews plans for Eagle Ranch’s first home with crew from Leonard Coleman Construction Co. From left, Will, Scott, Jeff and Michael find some fun in their work at Eagle Ranch.

Scott was the Ranch’s first resident, moving into the Faith Home on April 13, 1985. confidence if they’ve slid academically.”

Time leads to results Jacob, a 15-year-old from Gwinnett County Public Schools, said living and going to school at Eagle Ranch has indeed helped him get on the right path.

“I was held back in kindergarten, and in my sixth-grade year I got into it with one of the teachers and walked out and never came back,” Jacob said.

Now thriving academically, he attributes the success to “having a more closeup kind of experience with the teachers.

They’re more helpful here. They’re able to spend more time with me if I need help.”

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Since coming to Eagle Ranch one year ago, Jacob has worked his way back on track to graduate on time, despite earlier setbacks.

“It’s going to be a lot easier going back home,” he said. “I got a lot more confidence in myself.”

That’s the end goal, Staub said.

“We strive to meet them in the different areas of life: emotional, spiritual, academic,” Staub said. “When a child comes here, there’s gaps in all those areas. We don’t really hone in one. We try to look at the total child.”

Nikki and Brannon Craig said Eagle

Ranch’s approach works. The Kennesaw couple’s son, Tyler, 13, recently graduated from the program.

“It’s been life-changing,” Nikki said, adding that Tyler was at Eagle Ranch for 2« years. “It brought peace and unity into our home. It was a blessing.”

‘Need drives vision’ Trisha Dittmeier said being able to help children like Tyler is also a blessing. She and Tony Dittmeier were Eagle Ranch’s very first houseparents who would oversee about six to seven boys at a time inside the Faith Home.

Living there from 1985 to 1988, HOME Living

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Eddie Staub with Taylor, left, and Grant, right, boys who lived at Eagle Ranch in the early 1990s.

Trisha said, was “one of the hardest things we ever did but also one of the most rewarding.”

She learned that helping the boys who stayed in the home was a matter of “showing them love.”

The Dittmeiers were there when Eagle Ranch was exclusively a home for boys. Staub and staff decided to start housing girls there as well in 2001.

“We have a saying here that need drives vision,” Staub said. “Places that had girls in Northeast Georgia were closing down all of a sudden, and so the community came to us and said, ‘Would you consider a girls program as well?’”

Added Staub: “At the time, we didn’t want to have a coed campus, but the more we thought about it, we knew that the need should drive the vision.”

As he looks toward the coming years at Eagle Ranch, Staub tends to favor that maxim as the organization continues to evolve.

At the heart of Eagle Ranch’s mission, Staub said, “we’re giving (kids) a picture of a positive future.

“Children come here, and they’ve got these emotions of hopelessness, anger, depression and confusion,” Staub said.

“The danger is that these emotions become their identity, and as a result, it can become their destiny.”

Added Staub: “What we do is, we come into their lives and try to encourage them that there’s greatness in each and every one of them, and that God has a hope and a future for them. A good plan for their lives.”

home house & garden

Holiday The Southern way Gainesville interior designer Maggie Griffin offers tips on decorating with a traditional twist

Story by HOME staff Photos by Alexandra Haynes

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Making your home sparkle for the holidays requires more than a rooftop full of lights.

With an established blog, bellissimoand bella.blogspot.com, Maggie Griffin specializes in using heirloom pieces alongside affordable chic items from big box stores. She holds a degree in residential design with Furnishings and Interiors from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia and now resides with her husband and young son in Gainesville.

Maggie's home is furnished with both pieces handed down through her family and items she fell in love with in the store windows.

But it's how she makes them work together that is truly an art form.

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One of the first things Maggie suggests when decorating your home for the holidays is using native botanicals.

"I love to use trimmings right out of my yard. I have a huge magnolia tree and I often pick from it."

Another suggestion is using fruit, wether it's apples, pears or pomegranates. Maggie incorporates fruit in both table settings and around the house, like on the mantle mixed with holly or pine.

Using what you have on hand, she says, is also cost effective.

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When setting a holiday table, Maggie prefers to let the settings tell a story by mixing and matching heirloom pieces with store-bought items.

She says it works even you are going for a rustic feel (above) or a more formal approach.

Temper a glitzy setting (left) with soft floral arrangements or jazz up a rustic setting with sparkled ornaments and vases.

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Metallics are still trendy this year and can be set off by using them interspersed with more subdued items.

This nativity scene was given to Maggie and she holds it dear. To make it stand out, she uses greenery interwoven among the pieces.

In the fireplace, sits a group of metallic and modern-looking fir trees.

Little else is needed as these items, she notes, stand out together.

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For those who have collections, like a myriad Santas or nutcrackers, Maggie says to just set out a few of them here and there.

All of them clustered together can be overwhelming and no one item would really stand out. And don't forget the tykes. Even kids' places can be whimsically decorated (above).

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home house & garden

In the South, porches and gazebos aren't to be forgotten.

Places to gather even in winter, they can be decorated just as the indoors. Maggie like to use live trees, especially native pines dug up from area woods, to hold ornaments and white lights. Maggie feels white lights better illuminate decorations without detracting from them. And burlap, if you wondered, isn't going anywhere yet so feel free to wrap gifts, chairs, banisters and wreaths with various weaves.

Also relevant this year are bright colors mingled with neutrals.

Lime, turquoise, purple and even animal print set off a pile of burlap gifts or moss-covered mantels. But like with anything else, a little Maggies says, goes a long way.

Of course, personalizing your palace is key, but the trick is to keep it simple, playful and elegantly Southern.

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Milton Martin Toyota calls Oakwood home Story and photos by HOME staff Gainesville-based dealership Milton Martin Toyota has recently opened a new location off Mundy Mill Road and Atlanta Highway — complete with Chick-fil-A cafe and outdoor fireplace.

The dealership now is located at 3150 Milton Martin Toyota Way, in Oakwood.

The first person to buy a new car from the new location is longtime Toyota driver and Gainesville resident Janelle Whalen.

When she walked in the doors of the dealership Sept. 21, Janelle said “they made it really easy.”

Her late husband, Gus Whalen, had already talked to them about the car he wanted to get for Janelle, and so “I just showed up, and they showed me the car.”

She said salesman Mike Morrisey was very helpful.

“Their employees must be all very well trained,” Janelle said. “They do such a nice job.”

Along with three times the previous vehicle inventory of new and used cars, one special vehicle debuted at the dealership: the first car Milton Martin Toyota ever sold, a 1970 Toyota Corolla.

A Chick-fil-A restaurant is available in the café and customer lounge area, where customers can research specific vehicles and relax while paperwork is being completed. For those who prefer natural light, an outdoor fireplace and seating area includes a television for entertainment.

The dealership also includes a Quick Lube with four bays.

A conference room on the second floor of the dealership will be open to the public at no cost. It seats up to 60 people, and appointments for reservations can be made by contacting Emily Hayes at 770532-4355.

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Sales consultant Don Sims shows off a 2015 Toyota Camry in the showroom.

Customers wait in the new Toyota dealership in Oakwood.

“This is something that we would like people to know,” said Hayes. “We do want to open it up for other people to be able to use in the community.”

Hayes said the move from the Browns Bridge location — which has been closed since mid-September — has been a “big transition for all of us.”

For one thing, the business went from 45,500 square feet of space to about 82,000 in its new location off Exit 17 at Interstate 985.

The Whalens, said Janelle, will always prefer a Toyota.

“It’s a great car,” she said, adding that “I don’t know about other Toyota

dealerships but Milton Martin is a great place to buy a Toyota. They are so friendly. They are the kind of people you would like to have as your next door neighbors.”

Milton Martin Toyota 3150 Milton Martin Way, Exit 17 off I-985, Gainesville 866-256-3621 www.miltonmartintoyota.com HOME Living

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A spirited venture Family of old-time moonshiners finds success in their mountain distillery business

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Story by Frank Reddy Photos by HOME staff As a little girl growing up, Carlene Holder was aware her father, Carlos Lovell, made illegal whiskey, but it was something they didn’t talk about.

In fact, the first time she saw a sure-enough distillery, it was decades later when her dad started producing the stuff legally. She and her father work together now as a team at Ivy Mountain Distillery LLC in Mount Airy, where they make Lovell Bros.

Georgia Sour Mash Whiskey.

“The concept of having a legal distillery was my dad’s idea,” Holder said. “He told me (about five years ago) he had decided to start making liquor again, and he wanted me to go out and get the licenses.”

Now in operation for about four years, the distillery makes spirits using the same recipe Lovell used when he first started at the age of 16.

He his his brother, Fred, learned the family recipe from their father back in the 1940s and have been perfecting it ever since.

The Lovell Family closed their bootleg operation in the 1960s. Lovell spent the next 30 years developing mountain property before deciding to go back to the distillery.

“Because my daddy learned how to make whiskey the old-timey way, he wanted to keep making it the old-timey way when we started out four years ago,” she said. “So there’s no added flavoring or anything like that. It’s just old-timey sour mash whiskey.”

Added Holder: “It’s been great getting to see my daddy’s dream come true ... of having a legal distillery and reliving the past without having to worry if the law was going to cut him down.”

Holder said, however, that running a legal whiskey business can have its drawbacks.

“There are people out there who think that in order to be making moonshine and whiskey, you have to walk around in a pair of overalls, and that it’s very simple and that there’s nothing to it,” she said. “That bothers me, because this is a business, and you have to really know what you’re doing in this business.”

Then, there’s the chemistry.

Opposite page: Mike Yearwood poses in the warehouse of Ivy Mountain Distillery in Mount Airy. Left: The Lovell brothers, Fred and Carlos, stand in the distillery in this family photograph.

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Clockwise: Samples of Ivy Mountain whiskey and brandy; a barrel of whiskey ferments; labels are ready on the bottling line; Mike Yearwood checks on a vat of distilled whiskey.

To listen to General Manager Mike Yearwood talk about the process of making whiskey can be a little daunting. A whipsmart distiller who can talk booze jargon all day long, Yearwood is “a great asset to the business,” Holder said.

The business’ main products — Georgia Sour Mash Whiskey and Georgia Sour Mash — are both made from corn.

“There’s no shortcuts,” Holder said. “The corn is soaked in spring water, and then it germinates, and we lay it out to dry for days, and then it’s ground and taken to the distillery.”

At the end of the day, she says, it’s good to see her dad doing what he loves once again.

“I’ve heard him say, ‘this feels like going home.’”

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The Lovell brothers stand with Carlene Holder, Carlos Lovell’s daughter in this family photograph at the Ivy Mountain Distillery in Mount Airy.

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The virgin queen of

GEORGIA Olive oil is a growing industry

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Olives are inspected at Goergia Olive Farms.

Georgia olive oils are grabbing attention with chefs and consumers across the country.

Story by Randall Murray Photos courtesy Georgia Olive Growers Association Out in the flat, sandy land east of Valdosta, agriculture rules.

Drive along the rifle-bore straight country roads lined with tall pines and you’ll spot snowy cotton patches, and other fields with low-growing green plants with tiny yellow flowers: peanuts.

But in a small area along rural Route 221, you will find trees 8 to 12 feet tall, their gray-green leaves waving in the breezes.

You’re in Georgia olive country. And Georgia olive oils are grabbing attention with chefs and consumers across the country.

As one olive farmer joked, “Move over peaches, there’s another pit in town.” And its formal name is olea europaea – the olive.

Since TV celebrity chef Rachael Ray made “EVOO” (extra virgin olive oil) part of the language, the peppery, silky green oil is a must-have ingredient for even the most basic kitchen. Health benefits of olive oil are well known; think Mediterranean Diet.

And the flavor and texture of EVOO adds to the appeal of many homemagazinenorthgeorgia.com

foods, whether used in cooking or drizzling.

But not all oils labeled as EVOO meet strict U.S. standards, warns Vicki Hughes, executive director of Georgia Olive Growers Association. She has her roots at Georgia Olive Farms, a producer near Lakeland, “City of Murals.”

In fact, there are horror stories about supposed EVOO coming from Italy, according to an online olive oil website — not affiliated with Georgia growers. It may be labeled to indicate it’s Italian olive oil, but frequently it is not. Oils produced in places such as Morocco, Tunisia and Spain are shipped to Italy where they are bottled. Labels may mislead the consumer by saying “Packed in Italy,” or “Imported from Italy.”

Even worse, some fraudsters are actually making phony EVOO from cheap oils, colored and scented, which never saw an olive. The Italian national police maintain a squad of officers Winter | 2015

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trained to detect bogus EVOO. And they do that by taste and smell, not lab machinery, when they raid suspected fraudulent EVOO producers.

“The U.S. is kind of a dumping ground for bad EVOO,” Hughes warns.

That is not the case with Georgia oils, she declares. “We here in Georgia have a great commitment to quality. We are producing genuine EVOO.” Domestic producers are subject to stringent U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations. Producers are subject to USDA inspection, and woe to anyone caught breaking — or bending — those rules. Imported oils are exempt from such regulation.

Olive oil has been around for thousands of years. It is believed to have first been produced in what is now Turkey. In the U.S., olive oil is made in Georgia, Texas and California, in reverse order of the scale of production. Just recently Florida became the latest state to have skin in the EVOO game.

The Shaw family has farmed the land around Lakeland for generations. But in 2009, brothers Jason and Sam Shaw, cousin Kevin Shaw and colleague Berrien Sutton decided to push the envelope. They were shifting from traditional Georgia farm products. They were going to grow olives and make olive oil.

Recently Kevin was standing on the concrete pad that holds the farm’s state-of-the-art production machinery. A rugged, good-looking man with a perpetual smile in his eyes, Kevin was barefoot because he got chlorine on his boots while working on something.

“Those stones hurt,” he complained, pointing to gravel around the pad.

Asked what his responsibilities are at GOF, he replied with a grin, “I’m a farmer … and a janitor.”

The machinery, which begins the process with a crusher-presser, was installed by folks from the Italian firm that made it.

“It was quite interesting to be involved in the installation,” Kevin recalled. “They’re speaking Italian and broken English, and I’m talkin’ redneck and broken Spanish. But somehow we got it done.”

With the previous equipment, the farm could process about 250 pounds of olives an hour. With 38

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Brothers Jason and Sam Shaw, cousin Kevin Shaw and colleague Berrien Sutton grow olives in Lakeland, Georgia.

Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal tours an olive processing farm in Lakeland.

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Olive oil tips Look for a “bottled date,” rather than a “use by” date.

Olive oil should be used within 12-14 months of purchase.

Buy olive oil that’s in dark bottles, not clear glass.

If someone offers you a ripe olive just off the tree, politely decline. They taste awful.

To locate a retailer carrying Georgia Olive Farms oil go to georgiaolivefarms.com and click on “find a retailer.”

For more information about Georgia’s olive oil industry go to georgiaolivegrowers.com.

Georgia Chef Dave Snyder uses Georgia Olive Farms olive oil in a demonstration at the Georgia Olive Growers Association conference.

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the new gear, they can move up to two tons an hour, with only two or three people needed to make it work.

Olives for oil and grapes for wine are very similar. It takes about three years for new olive trees to bear a cash crop; four years for vineyards. Both crops must be watched carefully as they approach maturity, although the window for olive ripeness is much wider than for grapes. Both are crushed to extract the liquid, but with olives the whole fruit gets smashed, flesh and pit. In fact, the majority of the oil is in the pit.

The resulting paste is then centrifuged twice to remove the water from the oil and then the oil from the residue. Although EVOO is called “cold pressed,” it actually needs a warm touch — but less than 86 degrees — to make the process work.

GOF produces two types of EVOO: the first is made from 100 percent arbequina olives; the other, called Chef ’s Blend, is made from arbequina and koroneiki olives. The arbequina oil is medium green, soft and lightly fruity with a peppery bite in the aftertaste. The Chef ’s Blend is a bit more complex, but with less pepper.

As the Chef ’s Blend name indicates, “chefs are on board with Georgia olive oil. They have played a big role in putting Georgia oil on the map,” said Hughes.

Subtle flavors, guaranteed quality standards and a higher than usual smoke point (the point in the pan when oil begins to smoke) make it popular with chefs at the local, regional and even national levels.

Today’s venture into growing olives is not a first in the Peach State. When

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Gen. William T. Sherman marched through South Georgia more than a century ago, records show his troops ravaged existing olive groves. And an experimental planting about 10 years ago fell apart when the economy imploded.

South Georgia’s sandy loam soil and climate are similar to those found in the area around Verona, Italy. Jason Shaw visited that area and fell in love with olives. And so, a passion and an industry were born. Acreage planted to olives in Georgia has increased in three years from 120 to 600, with 64 growers involved.

Hughes sees bigger and better things for Georgia’s olive oil community. The association will grow, she predicts, and hopes to establish the nation’s first Certified Olive Oil Laboratory, and increase public awareness of what’s going on with the new pit in town.

home business

Make mine

Muscadine Chateau Elan vineyards take a risk on a native grape that pays off Story and photos by HOME staff

Fields of muscadines cover the property at Château Élan Winery in Braselton.

The native grapes are a big part of the Braselton Winery’s business 42

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Put a muscadine in your mouth.

Sink your teeth into the fruit, and there’s a distinctive pop.

That’s the skin bursting. The sweet pulp and juice inside is protected by a bronze or purple hull. And that, says winemaker

Simone Bergese, is the “secret weapon” of this native grape.

“Many people don’t know it, but you can eat the skin,” said Bergese, plucking a marble-sized muscadine from the vineyards outside Château Elan Winery. “It has seven times the antioxidants of a blueberry. Also, because the skin so thick, it makes the grape resistant to fungi and parasites.”

As executive winemaker at Château Elan for three years now, Bergese is the man who first decided to grow muscadines on the property in place of vineyards that produced grapes used in the production of merlot and chardonnay.

Bergese said the current crop is projected to produce more than 80 tons of grapes — that’s 11,000 gallons of wine, or 5,000 cases. Seventy-percent of the products are sold on the premises, and 30 percent is sold to retailers.

And, business is booming. Bergese said sales have increased 600 percent in the three years Château Elan has sold wine produced from its muscadine vineyards.

“Muscadines are our focus,” he said. “It is from Georgia,

Bottles of Muscadry wine sit out for customers to purchase at Château Élan Winery in Braselton. Executive Winemaker Simone Bergese shows off grapes before the harvest.

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and we are a farm winery. This is what we do.”

Native in states throughout the southeastern United States, muscadines are well adapted to the warm and humid climate. Muscadine is the umbrella term for both the bronze-colored grape (often called scuppernongs) as well as the reddish-purple type.

Bergese said he wanted to cultivate muscadines rather than those grape species often grown on the West Coast because muscadine vines “know how to deal with the rain here and the diseases found in this region. It’s the perfect grape to grow in an area like this, because it is where the muscadine naturally grows.”

Added Bergese: “That’s why you put your money in varieties that are meant to be here. You don’t want to go against mother nature. You start your plan by listening and looking at what’s around you, and then you put your efforts into making that possible. You make the smart choice first, and then everything else will be easier.”

Despite that, challenges do remain.

“You’re under the sky,” Bergese said. “You have to play it day by day.

Wine bottles are displayed at Château Élan Winery in Braselton. The winery was opened in 1984.

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You have to hope for the perfect season but also be watchful, whether it’s heavy rainfall or a late frost. These are problems that can compromise your production.”

The health of the leaves on the vine is as important as that of the fruit itself.

“You want to have healthy leaves,” he said. “The leaves are the sugar maker. The leaves translocate the sugar to the berry.

You want to have the canopy in good shape, so the berry can ask for sugar and get sugar.”

Once the muscadines reach peak growth, the next challenge is the harvest, which took place in September at Château Elan.

The plant is very different from that of the classic grapevine, namely in the way the fruit grows.

“You don’t cut the cluster,” he said. “You pick the berry like you would pick a plumb. Even the harvest is very different.

With the traditional harvest of grapevines all over the world, the fruit is well exposed and free of leaves. Very, very easy.

Muscadines are a challenge, because all the berries are inside the canopy.”

He said Château Elan has a specialized harvesting tractor used for the purpose.

The fermentation process — when it changes from juice to wine — occurs in a fairly short time period for muscadine wine.

“I may crush it one month, and then I’ll be bottling it three months later,” he said. “I prefer to have at least four months before I bottle it though, so that it can rest and stabilize.”

Over this brief aging period, he explained, the wine starts out as “a solution of thousands of components. Over those several months, there is an order that forms out of the mess. All the components bind together.”

The end result, according to longtime customer Tonya Isabel of Atlanta, is “some of the best wine I’ve had.”

Isabel said she also enjoys the variety offered at the Braselton winery.

“They have super sweet and super dry,” she said. “I have a big group of friends with diverse tastes, so there’s something to suit everyone.”

Bergese said the common misconception is that all muscadine wine is “always sweet.”

But, he said, “it’s only sweet if you make it sweet. It’s not a given.”

After three years specializing in the native grape, Bergese hopes to continue to see the new business direction flourish for the winery.

“It was an easy choice to make,” he said. “You grow what grows best, and then you make the best possible wine you can out of it.”

Since joining the Braselton winery in 2013, Bergese's wines have won more than 50 awards at wine competitions.

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home calendar

Ongoing Northeast Georgia History Center Family Days 1-4 p.m. Second Sunday of each month through December. Northeast Georgia History Center, 322 Academy St. NE, Gainesville. Free.

770-297-5900, www.negahc.org.

Northeast Georgia History Center Forums 7 p.m. Second Tuesday of each month through December. Northeast Georgia History Center, 322 Academy St NE, Gainesville.Theme differs each month. Admission free for members, $3 for nonmembers.

770-297-5900, www.negahc.org.

Bowen Center for the Arts 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Tuesday through Friday; Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. New shows monthly. Bowen Center for the Arts, 334 Ga. 9 N, Dawsonville.

Free. 706-216-2787, info@dawsonarts.org.

Association 6 p.m. fourth Tuesday each month.

Recess Southern Gastro-pub, 118 Bradford St. NE, Gainesville. Dinner, speakers, meeting. 770-654-9277, abwallcc.org.

The Pilot Club 5:45 p.m. every fourth Thursday. Elk’s Club, 1547 Riverside Drive, Gainesville. 770-532-2528, jlc814@yahoo. com.

The Georgia Art League Noon, third Thursday each month.

Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville. Georgiaartleague.org.

Friday Sketch Club 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. first Friday of the month. Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville. $20.

770-536-2575, info@qvac.org, www. quinlanartscenter.org.

Hall County Farmers Market 2:30-6:30 p.m.Tuesdays and 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays,Through November.

734 E. Crescent Drive, Gainesville. hallcountyfarmersmarket.org.

Lake Lanier Rowing Club classes Tuesdays and Thursdays. Clarks Bridge Park, 3105 Clarks Bridge Road, Gainesville. $100. www.lakelanierrowing.org, llrc@mindspring. com, 770-287-0077, 770-540-7144.

November

Toastmasters program, improve communication and leadership skills 6 p.m. Mondays. 611 Spring St., Gainesville. Free. 706-265-6710, 2520. toastmastersclubs.org.

Nov. 6-7 Marketplace 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 7. Gainesville Civic Center, 830 Green St NE, Gainesville. $5 per person. nghs.com/marketplace

Square dance plus classes 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays. Mulberry Creek Community Center, 4491 J.M. Turk Road, Flowery Branch. Free. 12 years old and older. 770-965-7140.

Library chess club 1-5 p.m. Fridays. Gainesville Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. All ages and levels welcome. 770-5323311, ext. 114.

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Nov. 7 Chestatee Artists Holiday Show 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Community House, 111 North Park St., Dahlonega. Free admission.

For more information, call 706-867-8059.

Nov. 7 Holiday bazaar Hoschton. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reunion Country Club, 5609 Grand Reunion Drive, Hoschton. Craft vendors, bake sale, cookie decorating.

Nov. 8 “Gause” documentary showing 3 p.m. William Duncan Martin Performing Arts Center, Jefferson High School, 575 Washington St., Jefferson. $12 adults, $6 children. jeffersoncommunitytheatre.com/ tickets.html.

Nov. 8 Vineyard Fest 2015 Braselton. 1-5 p.m. Chateau Elan Winery and Resort, 100 Rue Charlemagne, Braselton. $85. chateauelan.com.

Nov. 10-14 Candy Cane Lane Holiday Shoppes Dawsonville. Bowen Center for the Arts, 334 Ga. 9 N. 706-216-2787, info@dawson arts.org.

Nov. 12 Lanier Women’s Club Luncheon Gainesville. 10 a.m. . First Presbyterian Church, 800 S. Enota, Gainesville. Reservations required by Nov. 5. 678-971-4081.

Nov. 12 “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” Atlanta. Through Dec. 27. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. $10.25-$24.50. puppet.org or 404-8733391.

Nov. 13 Kid’s Night Out Fridays Gainesville. 5-8 p.m. Frances Meadows Aquatic Center, 1545 Community Way, Gainesville. $13-$16. gainesville.org/recreation. 770-533-5850.

Nov. 14 Mountain Music Medicine Show 8 p.m. Holly Theatre, 69 W. Main St., Dahlonega. $19.99-$27. 706-864-3759 Nov. 14 Lighting of the Tree 5-7 p.m. Braselton Brothers Department Store building, 9924 Davis St. in downtown.

Nov. 14 “Santa Arrives in Style” 10 a.m. . Lakeshore Mall Main Entrance, 150 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville. 770-5358877.

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Nov. 14.

Merry Mountain Market, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dahlonega Baptist Church, 234 Hawkins St., Dahlonega. 706-864-3676. dbch.org.

Nov. 14 “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights” 5-10 p.m. through Jan. 9. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta. $12.95-$18.95. 404-585-2060. atlantabg.org.

Nov. 17 University of North Georgia Choirs in Concert 7:30 p.m. . First Baptist Church, 751 Green St. NW, Gainesville. Free to the public. For more info, call 706-867-2508 or email john. broman@ung.edu.

Nov. 19 Jingle Mingle 5 p.m. Downtown Gainesville square. Free.

770-297-1141 orgainesville.org.

December

Dec. 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20 “Miracle on 34th Street” Holly Theatre, 69 W. Main St., Dahlonega.

Adults $20; children and students $12. 706864-3759, hollytheater.com.

Dec. 5 Reindog Parade 11 a.m. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta. Preregister at atlantabg.org between Nov. 2 and Dec. 1.

Garden admission, plus $15 per dog or $18 at the door. Limit two dogs per owner.

Dec. 5 15th annual Christmas in the Mountains Celebration and Parade 5-8 p.m. Cleveland Courthouse Square in Downtown Cleveland. 706-865-5356 or info@whitecountychamber.org.

Dec. 6 Secret Santa and Frazier Motorcycle Club ride Noon. Chattahoochee Baptist Association, 1220 McEver Road, Gainesville. Free.

Dec. 6 “Handcrafted for the Holidays” craft market 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6; 5-7 p.m. Dec. 7.

Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville. Free. QVAC.org.

Dec. 9 Vienna Boys Choir 7:30 p.m. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. Tickets: $59.50$19.50. Ticketmaster.com.

Dec. 20 Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas 7:30 p.m. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. Tickets: $102.50$47.50. Ticketmaster.com.

Nov. 19-22 “Always...Patsy Cline” Holly Theatre, 69 W. Main St., Dahlonega. $15-$25. hollytheater.com. 706-864-3759.

Dec. 5, 12, 19 Mingle with Kringle 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Main Street Market, 118 Main St. SW, Gainesville. 770-533-5850. exploregainesville.org.

January

Nov. 21 Holiday Festival 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Braselton Park on Harrison St.

Dec. 6 Christmas on Green Street 4:30 p.m. 770-533-5850. exploregainesville. org.

Jan. 1 Polar Bear Swim Noon. Lake Lanier Olympic Venue, 3105 Clarks Bridge Road, Gainesville. Prices vary.

770-287-0077. exploregainesville.org.

Through Jan. 4 “Portraits In Gray: A Civil War Photography Exhibition Featuring The Collection of David Wynn Vaughan” The Environment and Heritage Center, 2020 Clean Water Drive, Buford. Included in admission to the center.

Through Jan. 3 LEGO Exhibit Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville, 1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville. $8 adults, $5 children 3-12, free to children younger than 3 and Garden members. atlantabg. org/visit/gainesville. 404-888-4760.

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home around town Yonah Mountian Vineyard annual CrushFest Sept. 5, 2015

Hundreds trekked to Cleveland for the sixth annual Yonah Mountain Vineyard Crush Fest. Food trucks, live entertainment and vendors lined the vineyards, but the big draw was the selection of wines to taste, and of course, grape stomping. Crimson feet traipsed in and out of the large barrel set up at the festival as bucket after bucket of grapes was brought in for stomping.

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14th annual John Jarrard Foundation Concert Sept. 12, 2015

Five singer-songwriters with more than two dozen No. 1 singles paid tribute with a concert to a Gainesville native and country music songwriter who made a name for himself in Nashville. The 14th annual John Jarrard Foundation Concert was on the front lawn of Brenau University, 500 Washington St., in downtown Gainesville.

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12th annual Art in the Square Sept. 19-20, 2015

North Georgia artists displayed their finest works when Art in the Square returned for a 12th year in the historic Downtown Gainesville Square. As a juried art festival, the event draws the finest artists displaying their sculptures, woodwork and paintings in over 60 booths throughout the square.

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Harvest Balloon Festival Oct. 17, 2015

The sixth annual Harvest Balloon Festival was held at the Sterling on the Lake Community in Flowery Branch. Guests were able to spend the day enjoying a variety of activities leading up to tethered balloon rides. All funds raised from the festival benefit two local charities, Challenged Child & Friends and the Hall County Animal Shelter. The event has raised $120,000 for local charities.

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Sixth annual Giant Book Sale Oct. 8, 2015

About 20,000 books were for sale to the public. The event benefitted The Next Chapter Book Store and Our Neighbor Inc. The mission of the two partner organizations “is to assist and inspire those with disabilities to reach their maximum opportunity for independence.� The sale typically raises $10,000, a great return since all the books were donated. The organizations always try to have the book sale the same weekend as Mule Camp.

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Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County Futures Gala 2015 Oct. 13, 2015

Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North addressed a crowd of nearly 400 people for the Futures for Kids Gala benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County. The nonprofits serve more than 5,500 children ages 6-18 every year, with 86 percent of the youth served coming from economically disadvantaged homes. The clubs presented the Helping Hands Award at the gala to a club alumnus, Gainesville Fire Chief Jerome Yarbrough. The gala also featured several youth served by the clubs, including Jayla Williams, the 2015 Youth of the Year, and Donavan Moss, an alumnus of the clubs and sophomore at the United States Air Force Academy.

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Medical Center Open Golf Tournament Oct. 2, 2015

The Medical Center Open Golf Tournament raised $281,881, the largest amount in its 24 years. The money raised this year will benefit the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation’s “Think About It” Campaign, with 100 percent of proceeds going toward the campaign’s Project Deaths Avoided by Naloxone. Naloxone is a medication that can prevent overdose deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers. The golf tournament was held at Chicopee Woods Golf Course, drawing more than 200 players and 100 volunteers.

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2015 CASAblanca Gala Oct. 24, 2015

The sound of jazz filled the halls of Chattahoochee Country Club as crowds gathered to honor and remember some of North Georgia’s selfless child supporters. The annual CASAblanca event, benefiting Hall-Dawson Court Appointed Special Advocates, included a dinner, auction and awards honoring some of CASA’s biggest supporters over the last year. CASA is a nonprofit that works to ensure abused and neglected children have the right to a safe, permanent home.

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49th annual Junior League Thrift Sale Oct. 3, 2015

Everything from clothing and purses to televisions and couches were are on sale at the Gainesville Civic Center, and all sale proceeds will benefit area nonprofits and civic endeavors. The thrift sale is the Junior League’s second-biggest fundraiser of the year, second to the annual Charity Ball.

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Carols Of Christmas

November 14th

November 21st

LIGHTING OF THE TREE

FESTIVAL

5PM-7PM

10AM -5PM

BRASELTON BROTHERS STORE

BRASELTON PARK

MOVIE UNDER THE STARS 7:30 PM BRASELTON PARK

PARADE 10:30 AM

THRU DOWNTOWN BRASELTON

Caroling Event, Downtown Braselton on December 12th.

www.DowntownBraselton.com