NCM Sept/Oct 2021

Food on Wheels Truck Dining

Coweta City

life

&

Country Living

20 YEARS

SINCE 9-11 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2021 COMPLIMENTARY COPY

HOME. BUT NOT ALONE.

Living here comes complete with friends.

It’s not a secret. If you live alone, being retired can mean fewer personal connections, even a feeling of isolation. Happily, our residents avoid that. They are surrounded by companions and fun. Enjoying everything from movie nights to card games, exercise classes to gardening. Wouldn’t you like to be in the middle of it all?

To schedule a tour, contact Beth Tripp at 770.683.6859.

Remember, there are a bunch of friends waiting to say, “WELCOME HOME.”

2280 North Highway 29 | Newnan, GA 30265 wesleywoods.org/newnan | 770.683.6859

Wesley Woods is the only Life Plan Community in the Newnan area—offering independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing.

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Since 1872, GBCH&FM has served children and families throughout Georgia to Since 1872, GBCH&FM has served children and families throughout Georgia to Since 1872, GBCH&FM hasgive served children families Georgia provide a safe haven and them a place and to call home.throughout Our residents oftentocome provide a safe haven and give them a place to call home. Our residents often come provide a safe haven and give a place home.

Our residents come to us from places of abuse andthem neglect, but to wecall have the opportunity to often care for to us from places of abuse and neglect, but we have the opportunity to care for to us from places of abuse andvalued neglect, but we have the opportunity to care for them and show them they are and loved. them and show them they are valued and loved. them and show them they are valued and loved.

As a member of our team, you can make a life-changing difference for so many in As a member of our team, you can make a life-changing difference for so many in As member of our team, you can a life-changing difference fortoso many in ouracare.

We are always looking formake passionate individuals who want directly our care. We are always looking for passionate individuals who want to directly our care. are always lookingof for passionate individuals who want to directly serve our We residents in a variety positions. serve our residents in a variety of positions. serve our residents in a variety of positions.

Qualifications Responsibilities Benefits (for full time) Qualifications Responsibilities Benefits (for full time) Qualifications Responsibilities Benefits (for full time) Supervise residents Favorable Health and Dental Supervise residents Favorable Health and Dental Supervise residents Favorable Health and Dental and manage behaviors background results Insurance and manage behaviors background results Insurance and manage behaviors background results Insurance Paid leave accrual through service and and reference checks Paid leave accrual through service and and reference checks Paid leave accrual plan through service and and reference checks Associate's Degree or 403(b) retirement safety plans Associate's Degree or 403(b) retirement plan safety plans Associate's Degree or 403(b) retirement plan safety plans Documentation Scholarship program higher in a Behavioral Documentation Scholarship program higher in a Behavioral Documentation Scholarship program higher in Services a Behavioral Staff development and And many more! or Social Staff development and And many more! or Social Services Staff development and And many more! or Social training field, or 2Services years of training field, or 2 years of training field, or 2 years experience (paidofor experience (paid or experience volunteer) (paid or volunteer) volunteer) To learn more about our employment opportunities, contact us or apply today!

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Contributing Writers

William W. Thomasson Marianne C. Thomasson C. Clayton Neely Elizabeth C. Neely Jackie Kennedy Sandy Hiser, Sonya Studt Debby Dye Jennifer Dziedzic

Jonathan W. Hickman

Frances Kidd

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

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

On the Web: newnancowetamagazine.com @newnancowetamag @newnancowetamagazine

© 2021 by The Newnan Times-Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

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CONTENTS

our

features

20 | Coweta Life Whether it’s a farm out in the country, or a high-rise in town, Coweta living caters to all a resident could imagine. By Jennifer Dziedzic

30 | #NewnanStrong Alan Jackson’s “Where I Come From” concert brings the community together to help those impacted by the March tornado. By Jackie Kennedy

34 | Food on Wheels The national food truck trend puts the pedal to the metal in Coweta County. By Frances Kidd 10 |

WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

20 44 | Stroll with the Spirits A Friday night stroll through Senoia offers tales of spirits intertwined with the town's fascinating history. By Rebecca Leftwich and Jill Whitley

52 | Where Were You? Twenty years after 9-11, we remember the tragedy and a local hero’s response.

By Emily Kimbell

64 | One to Watch Hank Arnold’s Coweta FORCE offers help and recovery to those struggling with addiction. By Faith Farrell

Photo by Sandy Hiser

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE

52 in this issue

12 | From the Editor 13 | Caption This 14 | Roll Call 15 | Readers Write 16 | Behind the Shot 17 | The First to Know 18 | Book Review 19 | Georgia Bucket List 56 | Coweta Abroad

68 | Coweta Arts 72 | Coweta Garden 79 | Coweta Prose & Poetry 80 | Nonprofit Spotlight 84 | Coweta Cooks 88 | Day Trippin’ 90 | Coweta Crafts 94 | Service Directory 96 | Blacktop 98 | The Wrap-Up

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

A New Season

S

ome seasons in your life are more hectic than others, and I’m just coming out of an extremely busy one in mine. I missed the summer roses, but I’ve emerged from my busy-ness just in time to stop and smell the autumn

begonias.

Speaking of flowers, this issue devotes a fair amount of space to gardening and living off the land. Whether they’re growing fruits and vegetables or flowers, Coweta gardeners have green thumbs and hearts of gold.

Many Coweta County residents were raised on farms, or had parents or grandparents who were, so they appreciate what’s grown on farmland for our benefit, like cattle for beef, beans for soup, and strawberries for snack time.

In this issue, we visit the farm of John and Marcia Callaway who raise Angus and SimAngus cattle on their idyllic south Coweta spread, see page 20. We enjoy the bounty of vegetables grown in the sprawling Moreland gardens of Tom and Rhonda Andrews, see page 72, and we take you to the in-town flower and smaller veggie garden of our cover girl, Heather Hale, see page 73.

We take a look at a relatively new trend in Coweta that’s taking off like a rocket: the emergence of food trucks, see page 34. With just about every menu you can imagine, area food trucks bring global tastes to our city sidewalks.

In another joining of city and country life, we explore Truth in Nature, a local nonprofit that pairs adult mentors with fatherless boys to teach them outdoor skills, see page 80. As a bonus, their leader shares a few wild game recipes, see page 84.

This issue is packed with many more sights, sounds and delicious smells of autumn, including a historic stroll through Senoia, page 44; a visit to Inman Heritage Farm Days, page 88; and a look at Gordon Kilgore’s incredibly amazing photography of locales from other lands, page 56.

As we put this autumn issue to bed, we immediately turn to work on our holiday edition, which will include results from our Fourth Annual Bake Your Best Christmas Cookie Contest. Be a part of this fun holiday tradition by entering your cookies with the chance to win prizes. See page 92 for contest details.

We hope your autumn is filled with the joys of Friday night football games, weekend fall festivals and crackling leaves beneath your feet. Bring it on.

Jackie Kennedy, Editor magazine@newnan.com

12 |

WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

“Faith is closing your eyes and trusting the outcome.”

Photo by Sally Ray

Caption This!

In July, we asked our Newnan-Coweta Magazine readers and Facebook friends to caption this photo. We received numerous entries with the winning caption, above, submitted by Lisa Barber Washington of Moreland.

In September, we’ll post another photo for readers to caption. Winners receive an NCM 25th Anniversary T-shirt. Visit newnancowetamagazine.com or follow us on Facebook to submit your caption.

@newnancowetamag

770.435.7474

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 13

Our Contributors Jennifer Dziedzic lives in Newnan with her husband, the most extraordinary untrained chef she knows, and her amazingly artistic daughter.

Jennifer loves being a freelance writer, uses a pen name sometimes, and is in the process of publishing children’s books while her daughter is still young enough to enjoy them.

Neil Monroe is a retired corporate communicator whose career included jobs with Southern Company, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola Enterprises. His roots are in community journalism. He and his wife, Rayleen, live in Sharpsburg where they enjoy tennis, golf and grandchildren.

Rebecca Leftwich, a staff writer for The Newnan Times-Herald, grew up with a cemetery in her backyard and a family ghost called Mr. Barron.

She is afraid of the dark.

Frances Kidd is a Newnan native who spent most of her adult years working as a nonprofit and marketing consultant. Although she’s an avid traveler, she never lost her Southern accent. If she’s not in Georgia, you can find her out in the country in Italy.

Payton Thompson is the mother of a baby boy who keeps her busy 24/7. She loves her family and her job as receptionist at The Newnan Times-Herald and, when she’s not occupied with all of these, she enjoys crafting.

Jeffrey Ward is a native San Franciscan, Vietnam vet and University of Washington communications grad with a 50-year career in aviation. He’s been married 47 years, has two adult children and six grandchildren, and is a foodie and Facebook junkie.

Robin Stewart volunteers with the NewnanCoweta Humane Society and, along with her artist husband, is active in the local arts scene. She loves all animals, is addicted to costume jewelry, and the part of her brain that used to know math is now occupied by useless facts for team trivia purposes.

Sara Moore’s warm and welcoming nature influences her photography by putting her subjects at ease. She enjoys living the quiet country life while residing in Newnan with her husband, horses, dogs, chickens and ducks.

Jonathan W. Hickman is a RottenTomatoes.com Tomatometer-approved critic, entertainment lawyer, college professor, novelist and filmmaker – and a member of the Atlanta Film Critics Circle, The Southeastern Film Critics Association and the Georgia Film Critics Association.

Chris Martin has photographed Major League Baseball, NCAA football, bull riding, air shows, space launches and international swim meets featuring Michael Phelps. He shoots action sports for The Heritage School in Newnan and for The Newnan Times-Herald.

Jill Whitley is a former courtappointed child advocate for Coweta CASA and has navigated widowhood, single parenting and blending a family. She lives in Coweta County with her incredibly patient husband and two kindhearted, hilarious children.

ROLL CALL Emily Kimbell is executive director of the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society. An active member of her community, she enjoys exploring the city’s historic cemetery and acting in local theatre productions.

OUR READERS WRITE

“

About Faith Farrell’s “Coweta to Me” column, “Pick-up Sticks but No Pecans,” in our July/August issue: “What a fascinating article. What a fascinating person.”

– Pilliard Dickle

“This is beautifully written.”

– Tammy

Let Us Hear From You...

“

Send thoughts, ideas and suggestions to magazine@newnan.com.

CORRECTION

In our July/August issue, we incorrectly listed Dr. Heather Turner as a physician with Piedmont Newnan when she actually is a physician with Southern Crescent Women’s HealthCare.

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Southerners have always been known as great storytellers. So, when you combine this treasured art form with a dose of folklore, small town secrets, and things that go bump in the night, you know you’re in for a treat. This is what you get on Troup County Historical Society’s Strange LaGrange walking tour. Led by the gregarious Southern spirit guide and docent Lewis Powell, it’s a combination haunt jaunt, history lesson and an overall great way to get to know the city, up close and personal.

Tours are Friday nights at 7:00pm at Legacy Museum on Main at 136 Main Street, LaGrange, GA. Tours walk rain or shine (unless the weather is dangerous) so bring an umbrella and wear comfortable walking shoes.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 15

BEHIND THE SHOT

Photo by Sandy Hiser

The Story of Our Scarecrow Written by JACKIE KENNEDY

16 |

WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

TOP Cover model Heather Hale was a perfect match for our sweet scarecrow.

MIDDLE Gabriella and her sister Ariaana Rutledge peer over the fence to meet their new neighbor.

BOTTOM Proving she'll go to great lengths for the NCM cover, publisher Beth Neely, at left, prepares to saw the scarecrow's lower extremities. At right, she climbs a roof to hold a patio umbrella to block the sun.

Photo by Sandy Hiser

Photo by Sonya

Studt

Photo

d

by San

y Hiser

W

e went around the world trying to figure out how to combine city and country living on the cover of this issue celebrating life in Coweta. Idea after idea, it seemed like something was missing. Then, seemingly out of the sky, media sales specialist Misha Benson said, “Let's make a scarecrow and put it on the cover!”

Wow! Why didn't I think of that?

Our beehive of an office got buzzing and before we knew it, we had a scarecrow skeleton, thanks to publisher and all-around handyperson Beth Neely; a sweet face with straw hair, thanks to resident crafts guru Payton Thompson; and some cool duds for him to wear, namely, Misha's husband Kenny's flannel shirt and my overalls from high school. (Do not ask if they still fit.)

With our featured city gardener Heather Hale posing with the scarecrow, creative directors Sandy Hiser and Sonya Studt joined Payton and Beth on a bright and steamy mid-August morning to shoot the cover at a wooden fence.

One thing we missed in our planning was the fact that our scarecrow was taller than said fence. We amputated him at the knee, or what would have been his knee were it not a two-by-four. With our cover girl sitting on an upturned bucket, the two sized up just right, and Heather even offered her new buddy a bouquet of Payton's pretty newspaper flowers.

(To make your own, see page 90.)

We found the best ever model in Heather.

All grace and patience, she's the perfect match for our sweet and not-scary-at-all garden defender. NCM

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NTH is your reliable source for news on community events, crime, local government, arts and culture, social services, zoning and development.

Coweta soccer players

June 30, 2021

Fire up the Fourth Fire up the Fourth with tasty backyard recipes

Atlanta United donates gear to Coweta soccer players

Wednesday

SPORTS • 12A

FOOD • 5A

| $1.00 ISSUE 156 | NEWNA N, GA | SINCE 1865

INSIDE GUIDE

Opinion .................. 4A Food ....................... 5A Obituaries ......... 10A Sports ................. 12A Health ............... 5B See&Do ............. 1,4B Classifieds ........... 15B

Grantville fireworks July 3

....................... Page 3A

Alan Jackson’s ‘Where I Come From’ concert deemed huge success

BY KATHERINE FUTCH news@newnan.com

On Saturday, June 26, Alan Jackson returned to Newnan , his childho od hometow n. He, alongside seven other artists, played at the “ Where I Come From” Tornad o Benefit Relief Concert.

The event had approximately 20,000 attendees. It was also live-stre amed to create widespread awareness for the devasta tion caused by the EF-4 tornado in late March.

Several vendors were also present at the event and provided drinks, food, and merchandise for the attend-

ees. They donated their proceeds to the rebuildi ng of Newnan.

A mong the 20,0 0 0 at t ende e s w a s D en i s e Ledford , a victim of the Newnan EF-4 tornado. The high-speed winds sent several trees through her home.

“The fact that Alan Jackson hasn’t forgotten about his hometow n despite his success is inspiring to me,” Ledford said. “It is a great thing that he came back and is doing this.”

The com mun ity of Newnan pitched in for this PHOTO BY CHRIS MARTIN large-sc ale event to be a performers, leads his band in another song success. Angie Nutt, the Alan Jackson, one of country music’s greatest Benefit Concert at the Coweta County

CONCERT • 16A

during Saturday ’s Where I Come From Tornado Fairgrounds.

Grantville citizens want grocery store, not liquor store

Repairs ongoing at Newnan High

....................... Page 9A

y! a d o T e ib r c s b u S

iption Rates: business; Standard Subscr wspaper mailed to your home or weta Magazine.

H ne n-Co Includes the NT issues of Newna online; and all 6 ss ce ac ll onths $125 fu m US 12 PL ths $62.50 •

to on D responds the of 6 mNF Pet • 5 1.2 $3 s th on 3m wntown :car fire do week er), Milita ry and Veterans NTH

Pet of the Week

d old an ths $99 or (65 Page 16B ......... mon Seni..............

12 hose 50carry•a water 9.helps after firefighters responded to $4 s Brown Stephen Chief th Fire on m Newnan 6 • car fire was around 175 The .

5 afternoon a car fire on Monday s $24.7 the area of 17 Jefferson St. forcrews h the fire. No 3 month WEATHER were able to respond quickly and extinguis yards from the fire station so Brown.

PHOTO BY JEFFREY CULLEN-DE AN

one was injured, and the cause of the fire

is undetermined, according to

Community News written

by Local Reporters PHOTO BY JEFFREY CULLEN-DE AN

Virginia, left, and Manny Singh propose truck stop to the Grantville City Council.

BY JEFFREY CULLEN-DEAN

jeffrey@newnan.com

The Grantv ille City Counci l approve d specia l use per m it s for a liquor store and possible tr uck stop on 2 7-acre proper ty on L ow r y R oad at the cou nci l 's Monday night meeting .

For both votes, Councilmembers Mark K ing, Jim Sells a nd Alan Wacase r voted to approve the special use p er m it s , wh i le C ou ncilmemb er Ruby Hines opposed the permits .

a liquor store and

ing that ethicall y tells me not to vote for another liquor store. I g ue s s , i n a sen se, I'm apologiz ing here."

A lon g w ith H ines , Mayor Doug Jewell said he was in oppositi on of the liquor store based on t he de si r e s of t he citizens .

"I'm personally opp o s e d t o t he a dd ition to the liquor store population," he said. "As mayor and council members, we're elected to do the will of the people.

B a se d on the p opu lation that's here tonight,

RY Online: times-herald.com/subscribe Call: 770-253-1576 • Stop by: DIS 16 Jefferson Newnan • Order CO VE R RE AS TEStreet, WEDNESDAY º º

86 71

30% chance of storms

E GUIDE NEWNAN -COWETA SURVIVO R RESOURC

Not sure where to begin or hat you need? Start here...

BOOK REVIEW

‘The Closet’ Reviewed by JONATHAN W. HICKMAN

“T

ell me what you were thinking,” Attorney Joe MacNabb questioned a client, not disrespectfully but calmly and with high regard. I was an impetuous young lawyer back then, in the 1990s, and it was his personable manner, appealing to humanity, Newnan author Joseph McNabb that impacted me. He was the most patient of practitioners.

Flash forward more than twenty years: Joe’s retired from the practice of law and, in his 70s, he’s written his first novel. It’s a meticulous thriller, a tome that richly explores the dark side of humanity while celebrating the elusive, innate goodness hidden within us.

“The Closet” is a vicious, unflinching, fresh bit of fiction that combines Stephen King with Thomas Harris along with a fair amount of religion that doesn’t hit you over the head with a pushy message. The novel is a remarkable achievement. Color me impressed.

The story is a twisty one. Will, a young Methodist minister, loses his pregnant, academic wife Leah in a home invasion. The hospital can’t save her, but doctors deliver their child, Annie. The distraught Will is beset with mixed emotions; he has a daughter, but there’s no mother with whom to share the love.

Leah’s parents blame him for their daughter’s death. They believe that had Will been home at the time, Leah wouldn’t have died. Sadly, Will feels that same guilt.

Years pass. Raising Annie alone, Will takes a position at a church in a small town, not unlike Newnan of the 1980s.

Everyone knows something about everyone in the community, but secrets persist. As generations are replaced, dark truths fade into the ether.

When Annie is kidnapped at the county fair, the local law enforcement, led by an earnest young African American detective named Jack, is stumped. Where is Annie? Who has taken her?

With hints of King’s parent/child conflict in “Carrie” and a touch of the psychological horror of Harris’ “The Silence of the Lambs,” MacNabb weaves a solid, sordid and rewarding tale that reveals the deep-seated effects of a cloistered and 18 |

WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

intensely pious upbringing. It’s equal parts tragedy and thrilling mystery, as Will searches desperately for his daughter and Annie fights to remain sane while held captive in, yes, a tiny closet.

The metaphor of the closet is lost on no one. It’s a place where painful memories and conflicted emotions are locked away. In this closet, however, one’s true worth can be measured.

The novel covers a few days during the traumatic kidnapping. MacNabb’s methodical prose details the emotions and the procedures associated with the investigation. Drawing on his years as a lawyer and a long-time juvenile court judge, MacNabb knows the system from the inside. As a result, everything about “The Closet” rings credible, even as the complex narrative gets ever more lurid and tension-filled.

Despite MacNabb’s admittedly religious worldview, his book is not a sanitized inspirational work. People of faith will embrace its recurring references to Judeo-Christian beliefs and Biblical quotations. Those just looking for a briskly told mystery will also be captivated. MacNabb manages to thread the needle giving us a finely written adult novel that injects a fair amount of Methodist philosophy.

When I sat many times, years ago, in Joe’s office meeting with clients, he always took his time to understand the motivations of the person seeking his advice. It was his lifetime of encounters that made this novel possible. With “The Closet,” he’s given us a little of his broad insight. It’s a new voice from an old soul. NCM “The Closet,” by Joseph MacNabb, of Newnan, was released May 23 by Solstice Publishing, 280 pages. ★★★★

Read a good book lately?

Share your favorite new read with Newnan-Coweta Magazine by writing a book review for possible publication in an upcoming issue. Keep your review at 200-300 words and please include the author’s name, page count and date of publication.

Send your review with your contact information to magazine@newnan.com or mail to Newnan-Coweta Magazine, 16 Jefferson St., Newnan, GA 30263.

GEORGIA BUCKET LIST

What’s on your

Georgia

Bucket List?

H

ave you ever walked the rim of Providence Canyon or hiked to the top of Stone Mountain? Jet-skied at Lake Lanier or taken the ferry to Cumberland Island? Watched penguins waddle at Georgia Aquarium or run the Fourth of July Peachtree Road Race?

Maybe you haven’t scratched these things off your bucket list. We want to help!

Let Newnan-Coweta Magazine know what’s tops on your Georgia Bucket List, and your dream may become reality. We invite you to submit your top bucket list wish that’s doable in Georgia. We’ll pick five and make them happen in the coming year.

So, tell us what’s tops on your to-do list. It doesn’t have to be tied to visiting a Georgia tourist attraction.

Maybe there’s a restaurant you’ve heard about but never tried. Or maybe there’s a certain someone you’ve longed to meet in person but never had the opportunity to do so.

Let us know what bucket list item you haven’t been able to mark off your list and why it’s

Wine & Culinary

Romantic Dinner in Santorini, Greece

important to you. If we choose your entry, we’ll make it happen and share that story with NCM readers in an upcoming issue.

Submit your entry online at newnancowetamagazine.com, or fill out the form here and mail to Newnan-Coweta Magazine, 16 Jefferson Street, Newnan, GA 30263, or drop it by our office at the same address.

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The item I’d most like to scratch off my Georgia Bucket List: ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Why is this important to you? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

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Country& City Living

Collide to Create Something Special Written by JENNIFER DZIEDZIC | Photographed by SARA MOORE

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 21

COUNTRY + CITY

C

Coweta Life

oweta officially became a county in Georgia in 1826 with Newnan named its county seat when it was incorporated in 1828. Other early Coweta settlements include Grantville, originally incorporated as Calico Corner in 1840, and Senoia, established as Willow Dell in 1864. The community of Sharpsburg was incorporated in 1871 and will celebrate its sesquicentennial in December.

For most of the past two centuries, Coweta County relied primarily on agricultural pursuits, including production of dairy, livestock, cotton and peaches. While farming continues in 2021, recent decades have brought a shift to more suburban and urban living here. Coweta has become the best of both country and city life as its population has increased and shopping and amenities have sprung up.

Out in the Country

John and Marcia Callaway own Callaway Cattle Company in southwest Coweta County with their operation on land that’s been in the Callaway family for more than 100 years. In the first half of the twentieth century, the main cash crop on the farm was cotton, but the family also grew corn, oats

ABOVE / PREVIOUS PAGES Coweta cattleman John Callaway raises Angus and SimAngus cattle on his family farm.

LEFT Work at a cattle farm involves a variety of skills, including using a tractor in the hayfield and for other chores.

“There’s something about getting up and the first thing you do every morning is feed some livestock. I just enjoy that life.”

– John Callaway 22 |

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and wheat and raised livestock.

After retiring from a career as a county Extension agent, Callaway returned to his family land where he and Marcia raise Angus and SimAngus cattle.

“I wanted to go back to the farm and breed and raise cattle, and that’s what we’ve done,” he said. “I just like the outdoor life, breeding and raising cattle and selling them to other people to use in their herd. I had been to the office every day for 30 years. There’s something about getting up and the first thing you do every morning is feed some livestock. I just enjoy that life.”

John describes rural Coweta County as it appeared a half century ago: “Back then, it was much more rural with little country stores, one on every corner and at every crossroads. There were several dairies in the area, more row crop farmers and more livestock, and a lot of peaches back then. We’ve got one tract here that Daddy

bought when I was young; it was 55 acres and it was all in peaches. Up Corinth Road towards Newnan, there were peach orchards everywhere.”

Callaway remembers accompanying his father, J.C. “Chad” Callaway, on trips to town in Newnan where they hauled cotton to the gin. Numerous small farms dotted the countryside. Today, much of that former farmland has been developed into subdivisions.

“A lot of the farms were sold and houses built on them,” says Callaway. “You go up Smokey Road and see all that development. We’re not quite that developed out here, yet.”

Callaway remembers when the area where Highways 54 and 34 intersect was all rural. The Candler family, who owned controlling stock in Coca-Cola, owned a farm called Rolling Meadows. Dr. C.A. Moody raised horned Herefords in pastures where Interstate 85 now passes under Highway 16, according to Callaway.

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Coweta Life

Photo by Chris Martin

COUNTRY + CITY

Today, along with horse farms, Coweta County’s remaining farms produce hay, dairy products, cut flowers and livestock. Residents are able to purchase local produce at various area markets.

Greenspace in Town Many Cowetans were drawn here because of the rural appeal and the attention to preserving greenspace. The community offers many activities to get people outdoors to enjoy that greenspace.

New Leaf Community Garden in downtown Newnan has given residents an outdoor space to learn and grow food since 2011. Volunteers are encouraged to help pull weeds, water the garden and harvest the vegetables.

“Our purpose is to educate, feed and nourish the people of Newnan through a sustainable community garden,” says New Leaf Chairman Kim Bish. “In the sharing section, we grow fresh, organic food that is donated to Meals on Wheels and the Salvation Army.

Over the years, we’ve donated thousands of pounds of produce back to the community. Our raised bed section provides a place for community members who may not ABOVE A good crowd turns out on a summer evening for NewnaNights at Greenville Street Park.

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have space at home to come together with other likeminded people to garden.”

The LINC multi-use path system is fun for those who want to enjoy a stroll, bike ride or alternate transportation route. Yoga in the Park, Music in the Park, and similar family-friendly events occur routinely in Newnan, like the monthly NewnaNights at Greenville Street Park. The Newnan Skate Park is nearing completion, and a new event, the Frayed Edges Festival, debuted on July 10.

Art is also important to the community, and local works are exhibited at MainStreet Newnan-sponsored Art Walks each spring and fall. Art on display ranges from painting and pottery to photography and performing arts. With more downtown lofts and townhomes being constructed, people have growing opportunities to live close to where these and other downtown events are happening.

Coweta County’s cities are much smaller than Atlanta, but they offer a wide variety of restaurants, shopping and entertainment options – all intertwined among scenic routes that showcase sprawling farms and pastureland.

We have the small-town feel that so many yearn for and greenspace that’s been lost in metro areas, yet Coweta maintains a connection to modern city life, providing the best of both worlds. NCM

COWETA FEATURE

Downtown Living NEW TOWNHOMES MAKE IT POSSIBLE

Photo courtesy Newnan Views.

Written by JENNIFER DZIEDZIC

ABOVE Newnan Views townhomes, just blocks from the courthouse square, add a whole new level to city living in downtown Newnan.

D

owntown living comes in many shapes and sizes and, at Newnan Views townhomes, it's large.

Located in downtown Newnan, the townhomes are four-story, elevator-equipped abodes with private rooftops and a long list of amenities and upgrade options with a homeowner’s association that takes care of all maintenance and groundwork.

“You own the land and the whole structure,” says Tommy Sweet, president of Cornerstone Commercial Contractors, who says this was his first project with rooftop terraces. “This was the ideal site for this

COUNTRY + CITY

Coweta Life

“It’s a great entertainment space, and you’ve got the beautiful sunset. You can look over downtown . . . so many of the owners are walking to dinner, inviting friends over, enjoying what’s happening over in the park.”

– Tommy Sweet

Photo by Beth Neely

her husband built their first home in the Welcome Road area and then moved to Newnan Pines where they lived for 26 years.

Now empty nesters, they live in the new townhomes and even bought a golf cart, which they can take anywhere in town where the speed limit is 35 mph or less.

“Sometimes we just ride around the outskirts of Newnan to see what’s going on because you’ve got a lot of redevelopment going on with the LINC system,” she says.

The amenities of downtown life and community are perks for those moving to the townhomes, says Barnes, adding that her husband enjoys travel, so living where upkeep is handled for them frees up his time.

“There’s a lot that we do that is very modern looking, but we do it in such a way that it fits in with a traditional downtown,” says Sweet. “We still have a lot of masonry on the outside, primarily brick. These homes are about ownership and attracting people who want to get away from yard work or want to stay near friends and family in Newnan, while enjoying less maintenance and more of a downtown feel.” NCM

particular type of home. It’s a great entertainment space, and you’ve got the beautiful sunset. You can look over downtown, you’ve got the First Avenue Park, Greenville Street Park, and so many of the owners are walking to dinner, inviting friends over, enjoying what’s happening over in the park.”

Resident Joy Brown Barnes hails from a family that goes back five generations in Coweta County. She and ABOVE Local realtor Joy Barnes works from her kitchen island at her spacious Newnan Views townhome.

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COWETA FEATURE

When Country comes to Town LIFE AT THE FARMER’S MARKET

F

Written by JENNIFER DZIEDZIC | Photographed by DEBBY DYE

armers markets in Newnan, Senoia and Sharpsburg enable citizens in those towns to routinely purchase farm-fresh vegetables. And they make it possible for growers to conveniently market their homegrown goodies.

Farmers Kim and Richard Littleton sell the produce grown at their family farm near Whitesburg at farmer markets in Newnan. They set up shop at the monthly Market Day, hosted

by Main Street Newnan at Court Square, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on first Saturdays ABOVE John Hemphill and son Andy sell zinnias, okra and other homegrown items at the Coweta County Farmers Market.

from April through December. The Littletons also sell at Coweta County Farmers Market, on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Asa Powell Expo Center on Temple Avenue. That market runs from June through mid-October.

Also in Newnan, the Farm to Main Street Farmer’s Market takes place each Monday through mid-October at Court Square.

In Sharpsburg, vendors sell produce and crafts at the Sharpsburg Market the third Saturday of each month at 105 Main Street.

Local produce comes from farms like the Christopher family, who own a farm on Christopher Road, and Whitley Farms, who’ve been farming in Coweta County since 2011.

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COUNTRY + CITY

Coweta Life

Several plant nurseries also take part in the monthly market.

“Agriculture is certainly still in our blood and anything the town can do to promote it, we will,” says Sharpsburg Mayor Blue Cole.

“You have all those amenities right there, but then just minutes away, it’s quiet solitude,” Cole says of the close proximity of rural and town living.

A hop down the highway, the Senoia Farmer’s Market opens on Saturday mornings through Christmas in a century-old, open-air cotton warehouse at 40 Travis Street. About 30 vendors who set up shop each weekend are known as “the Farmily.”

“Senoia Farmers Market is the Saturday gathering spot, bringing farmers, artisans, Senoians of all ages and visitors together for real down-home community,” says Tracy Brady, who has helped run the popular market since it started about two years ago. “Scott Tigchelaar came up with the idea, and he owns the building.

I thought it would be a great way to highlight ABOVE Kim Littleton grows both a summer and fall garden and offers produce from them for sale at Coweta County Farmers Market.

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local farmers, artisans and vendors and bring more people downtown.”

Country Gardens Farm, on SharpsburgMcCollum Road in Newnan, opens its farm stand on Fridays and Saturdays, sells subscription boxes of fresh produce, and offers classes on topics like growing organically and preserving food.

In Newnan, Littleton Family Farm started selling at the Coweta County Farmers Market in 2015, but some vendors have been selling there for 30 years, according to Kim Littleton.

Customers who visit the market at Asa Powell are bound to run into local farmers like John and Andy Hemphill, who sell plentiful produce and colorful zinnias, and Hoyt and Linda Copeland, who run a vegetable stand that includes farm fresh eggs “The market is twice a week and that’s really important when you want to bring fresh produce to market,” says Kim. “We pick every Tuesday for Wednesday’s market and every Friday for Saturday’s market, so we always bring very fresh produce. Whatever’s left over goes in my freezer or canner. It’s not brought back for the next market.”

Over the past few years, Kim and Richard have developed friendships with their customers at the Asa Powell Expo Center, where vendors drive in, unload their trucks, set up tables and sell from under a covered roof, which makes the twiceweekly sales possible, rain or shine.

“Another thing we love about the market is that it’s run by Extension, partially funded by the county, and the price to set up is extremely reasonable,” says Kim, giving a shoutout to Cynthia Jackson, who manages the market. “Our customers just want good produce at a fair price, and the Coweta Farmers Market allows the vendors to provide that for them.”

Selections at farmer markets in Coweta County are plentiful, and that is thanks to the hard work and planning from farmers like the Littletons.

Along with growing vegetables to sell at market, they are beekeepers and master gardeners, and Richard is an arborist and master naturalist “So, we’re a great example of country living,” says Kim. “I even know how to treat a copperhead bite on our large outside dogs.” NCM

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WE ARE

#NewnanStrong

Coming

Home

Alan Jackson, family and friends sing for Newnan Written by JACKIE KENNEDY | Photographed by CHRIS MARTIN

Benefit concert brings in thousands of people — and dollars — to help those impacted by the March tornado

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T

he “Where I Come From” Tornado Benefit Concert, featuring headliner and Newnan native Alan Jackson, was held three months to the day after an EF4 tornado ripped through Coweta County on March 26, destroying or damaging more than 2,000 homes and causing an estimated $14 million in damages.

The June 26 concert at Coweta County Fairgrounds morphed into an all-day festival after area artists were invited to perform, and by the time the show was done that night, almost $2 million had been raised to help those impacted by the storm. With 20,000 people at the concert, awareness was raised, too, when Jackson’s portion of the show was streamed live on Facebook.

Addressing his hometown audience, Jackson said he and wife Denise were “so heartbroken” when they saw how the violent tornado had shredded parts of Newnan they knew so well. “All of our childhood and young adult memories come from this area,” he said, adding his appreciation for community organizations and individuals who came together to rebuild after the storm – and to stage the country music festival. “We appreciate all of you who have come out here tonight to help all those folks in need.”

Alan Jackson kept the crowd on its feet as he performed his top hits, including “Chattahoochee,” “Little Bitty,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”

#NEWNANSTRONG

Saying he felt like a lot of his hometown’s residents might have been “living on love” in the days and weeks after the tornado, he played his song by that title.

Jackson’s nephews Adam and Brian Wright, Nashville residents and sons of Lamar and Cathy Jackson Wright of Newnan, also performed, along with Brian’s daughter Carlisle. Brian said after the show that he knew from photos the damage was bad but didn’t know the full extent until he saw it in person a few weeks after the tornado.

“A half mile from where I grew up and my folks still live, there was nothing left,” said Brian. “I knew we had to do something. I reached out to Uncle Hat [what his children called Alan when they were too young to pronounce his name] to let him know exactly how bad it was and relayed stories of how hopeless some of the community was. I knew the concert idea would come up and folks were already asking me about it.”

Putting together the massive event in such short time was just short of miraculous, according to Brian. “I can tell you there were mountains moved both at the local and state level to make it happen,” he said. “There was an enormous amount of time, personal money and risk taken to create an event that would not only bring necessary relief money to the area – but also some emotional relief at a time when a ‘Good Time,’ to use the title of an Alan Jackson song, was much needed after this disaster and the devastation of the preceding pandemic.”

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ABOVE Cowboy hats and boots might as well have been the dress code at the June concert featuring Alan Jackson and other country artists.

BELOW Approximately 20,000 people showed up to support tornado victims at the “Where I Come From” benefit concert headlined by Alan Jackson at Coweta County Fairgrounds in June.

2

1 (1) Adam Wright performs his new bluegrass single, “The End of the End of the World,” released on the day of the concert, June 26, with backup from his former guitar teacher, Doug Kees of Newnan. “This guy taught me how to play guitar. I want my money back,” Wright joked with the audience. (2) Brian Wright, right, performs for a hometown audience.

(3) Carlisle Wright sings a Dolly Parton song as her dad, Brian Wright, captures the moment on video with his cellphone.

3

Corbette Jackson, of Newnan, and Jared Ames, who performs in Alan’s AJ’s bar in Nashville, kicked off the day of music. Following sets by Brian and Adam, country artists Caylee Hammack and Chris Young performed, leading up to Alan’s show, which kept the crowd on their feet for most of two hours.

After the event, Adam reflected on the experience of sharing a stage with both his uncle and brother for the first time.

“It was so positive. All the workers, organizers, people there helping, all the crew, all the bands, all the fans, everybody was just so happy to be doing something,” he said, noting he could hardly believe how badly the

tornado had struck Newnan. “It looked like a place I’d never been. None of my markers were there; I didn’t know where I was.”

Coming together to raise money to help storm victims was a pleasure, Adam added.

“It was hot as blazes, but I can’t remember when I’ve had that much fun playing music,” he said. “It was so much fun, we just kind of floated home, we were so happy about it.”

Brian agreed with his brother. “Being able to perform with some of my best friends and share a stage with my talented family for a hometown crowd for the benefit of the community that raised me was priceless,” he said. NCM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 33

COWETA FEATURE

Food on Wheels COWETA’S FOOD TRUCK SCENE MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO EAT LOCAL – AND GLOBAL – ALL RIGHT HERE!

R

Written by FRANCES KIDD

aise your hand if you’ve ever bought ice cream from a truck that drove through the neighborhood playing a tinny chime to alert all that cool treats were on the way.

In the United States, ice cream trucks started gaining popularity in the 1950s and still provide summer relief to both kids and adults. While the stereotypical ice cream truck may not have changed greatly during the years, efforts are underway to modernize them. For example, Nissan has designed a prototype for a zero-emissions ice cream truck complete with roof-top solar panels.

While food trucks in Coweta County may be a fairly recent phenomenon, mobile food has a long history in the U.S. By the late 1600s, food carts on the streets of New York were being regulated by the government. Mobile food continued rolling into American culture, propelled by practical

RIGHT Food trucks come out in full force for NewnaNights and other events at Newnan's Greenville Street Park.

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Photo by Chris Martin

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 35

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COWETA FEATURE

Coweta diners can taste foods representative of Argentina, New Orleans and other locales. entrepreneurs. In 1886, the first chuckwagon served as a portable cafe for folks crossing the Old West. The now pop icon Oscar Mayer Wienermobile hit the streets in the late 1930s.

In the 1960s, food trucks began showing up at construction sites around the country and about 15 years later, an old ice cream truck was converted into the nation’s first taco truck, which sat outside a bar in East Los Angeles.

After that first taco truck, the number of food trucks just kept growing. Food trucks have starred in movies like Jon Favreau’s 2014 movie “Chef.” The plot revolves around a chef who loses his restaurant job and cooks (mostly) happily ever after in a food truck. The Food Channel put food trucks on television in “The Great Food Truck Race” starting in August 2010. The show recently wrapped up its 14th season.

Food trucks are big business today.

According to the 2017 Economic Census, sales from food trucks in the U.S. increased 79% between 2012 and 2017, rising from $660.5 million to $1.2 billion.

While a restaurant may serve the same community all the time in a particular neighborhood, the food truck’s neighborhood moves along with them. Most successful food truck operators realize they don’t need a long menu, and most menus tend to be oriented towards specialty foods, giving interested diners authentic tastes from different cultures.

Food trucks have to follow the same regulations as brick-and-mortar restaurants.

The truck’s owner is required to have a county business license and trucks are

Photo by Sandy Hiser

COWETA FEATURE

inspected by the Department of Public Health. Some regulations, such as needing a constant power source for refrigeration, may be more challenging for food trucks.

Newnan and Coweta County have a great food truck community. While many food trucks are based in Coweta, special events draw trucks from surrounding counties. Some local restaurants, like The Mad Mexican and Heirloom Bakery, have expanded their businesses with food trucks. Within hours of the tornado last spring, several local food trucks were quick to appear on Newnan streets to help feed volunteers and residents.

Local trucks offer diverse menus. There’s more than one barbecue truck, and Coweta diners can taste foods representative of Argentina, New Orleans and other locales.

ABOVE Olivia Janes with Shiver Shack Shaved Ice & Coffee serves “Georgia Peach” flavored shaved ice to a customer at The Sharpsburg Market, held the third Saturday of each month.

Me Lumpia Long Time is a perfect example of diversity in local food trucks. Candace and Robert Teague opened their food truck in 2019, with the idea to bring Robert’s mother’s traditional lumpia recipe and other Filipino favorites to Georgia. Lumpia is Pacific Island-style barbecue, which features a thin, crepe-like pastry skin called “lumpia wrapper” with a variety of fillings.

“We noticed that lumpia was the first thing to go at every barbecue we had,” said Robert, adding, “My pleasure is in the sense of nostalgia I have watching people having fun and enjoying the food.”

The Catfish Hauler continues a family heritage of good cooking since 1929. Stephani and Robert Wise relied on Robert’s knowledge of catfish when they started their business in 2017. Robert grew up in the restaurant business, from Jackson’s Fresh Air Barbecue, to Catfish Hollow to Goldens on the Square. “People are thrilled that Robert’s making the same food they miss – the Mississippi catfish, fried shrimp, coleslaw, hushpuppies and many other favorites,” says Stephani.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 37

Photo by Sandy Hiser

COWETA FEATURE

Robert says he opted to run a food truck instead of a stationary venue because “the food truck isn’t one-tenth the headache of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.”

Mitchell Coleman, founder and now a partner in Smoked Out BBQ (ATL) serves up more traditional food, but with a twist: everything is either grilled or smoked.

You can find him cooking everything from ribs, to salmon, to lamb chops. He grills vegetables, like asparagus and Brussel sprouts, and smokes his Mama’s Mac & Cheese.

He enjoys bringing people together through food by

ABOVE Chad and Debbi Jones, owner/ operators of Mother Cluckers, put their son David to work as their order delivery boy.

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serving what he calls “five-star dining on the side of the road.” While his truck’s name includes “ATL,” his family roots are in Coweta and he can be found dishing up meals here a lot.

Most of the food truck action in Coweta and the surrounding area is found at special events put on by churches, homeowners’ associations or local businesses.

This summer, Me Lumpia Long Time routinely set up at Tractor Supply Company, and a variety of trucks were on hand on Friday nights at Resurrection Lutheran Church’s Food Truck Friday Nights.

Want to find your favorite food truck or discover a new one? Keep an eye on their individual social media pages.

The Newnan Times-Herald and city and county websites are also good sources of information.

Or maybe, just follow your nose. NCM

Photo by Chris Martin

COWETA FEATURE

a few good

Food Trucks Here’s a sampling of local and area food truck businesses.

Grazing Here grazinghere.com H.J. Wings & Things facebook.com/newnansbest wings Heirloom Bakery facebook.com/heirloommarketco J. Holts Smokehouse facebook.com/jholtsbbq Japaneck Frank Hibachi Cuisine japaneckfrank.com

Aunt Zesty’s auntzestys.com

Kettleworks facebook.com/kettleworks

Catfish Hauler Food Truck facebook.com/CatfishHaulerFoodTruck

Lisa’s Creperie Food Truck lisascreperie.com

Dixie Dogs Cafe dixiedogz.com

Me Lumpia Long Time facebook.com/melumpialongtime

Ellison Brothers Barbecue facebook.com/Ellison-Brothers-BBQ

Mommies Empanadas facebook.com/mommiesempanadas

Everything Sweet facebook.com/Keepingitallsweet

Mother Cluckers facebook.com/Mother-Cluckers

Frio’s facebook.com/friosnewnan

Shiver Shack facebook.com/theshivershackga

Frigid Frog of West Georgia facebook.com/TheFrigidFrogOfWestGeorgia

Smoked Out BBQ smokedoutbbqatl.com

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 39

SPONSORED CONTENT SPONSORED CONTENT

Headley Construction Celebrates 50 Years of ‘Building A Better World’ Written by NEIL MONROE

A

half century ago, Bill Headley created a successful construction company that has had an enduring impact on Newnan, Coweta County and beyond. Early career experience with a large national developer fueled Headley’s desire to become a developer himself and build a better world for others. Creating a construction company gave him an opportunity to do both. Reflecting on why he chose Newnan to base his business, Bill always says the same thing: “This community is a great place to raise a family.”

So, in 1971, Bill Headley created Headley Construction and moved his wife, Anita, and their (then) three sons from the hustle and bustle of New York to Jackson Street in Newnan. After getting his business established, Bill bought and renovated an old warehouse building in historic downtown, the former home of the Southern Cotton Seed Oil Mill. This building still serves as Headley Construction’s

Photo by Jill Whitley

From left, Christopher Gilliam, Mitch Headley, Bill Headley and Luke Headley walk by Karvela’s Pizza, Hair Society of Newnan, the Carnegie Library, and Newnan’s oldest loft apartments, which were renovated by Headley Construction.

DESPITE SUCCESS, CHALLENGES ABOUND Even with its success over the past 50 years, Headley Construction’s legacy of achievement does not guarantee future success. The company is not immune to business challenges, having faced them repeatedly. Headley

Photo by Sarah Fay Campbell

office today. In late 1973, Jim Rogers joined the company after serving in the Navy. Jim would later become President of Headley Construction while preparing Bill’s son, Mitch, to take over the business.

Bill loves old buildings, especially historic structures and old mills. Several years after building Newnan’s Fire Station No. 1, Bill bought the old fire station building that had been converted to retail spaces. He added residences above, which became the first loft apartments in Newnan.

He later bought the old Newnan Cotton Mill and, with a development partner, created the Newnan Loft Apartments. At the time, the City of Newnan did not allow for such use, requiring close collaboration with city officials on recrafting local zoning ordinances. It took several years for Bill’s dream to become reality.

Eventually, Newnan Lofts became the first Mixed-Use Development in Newnan.

Mitch started working for the family construction business when he was in seventh grade. His first jobs were cutting the grass around the warehouse and cleaning historic bricks for reuse. He continued to work for Headley Construction most summers until he graduated from Georgia Tech in 1987 with a Bachelor's Degree of Civil Engineering. After gaining design experience with Jordan, Jones & Goulding, an Atlanta-based engineering firm, Mitch obtained his Professional Engineer registration. Shortly after, he came back to work for Headley Construction in January 1994.

The commercial construction industry was slow at that time, and Bill was hesitant to hire Mitch because, as he plainly put it, “I just couldn’t afford to pay him a fair salary.” Inspired by his lifelong passion for his family business, Mitch took the job anyway.

Mitch was a dedicated superintendent on several projects, living in a tiny travel trailer on various job sites and even residing in a makeshift apartment built within the Headley Construction offices. In 1997, Bill ‘retired’ and Mitch took on a project manager role as Vice President under Jim Rogers. In January 2006, Mitch took over as President of the company.

Bill Headley officially retired in 1997, but his vision and attention to detail continue to shape Headley Construction’s approach to general contracting, design-build, and renovation projects.

“This community is a great place to raise a family.”

-Bill Headley, Founder Construction’s past success and its future are tied to the ability to manage through difficult business environments. “Throughout our history, we’ve seen ups and downs in the construction industry, often driven by factors that we cannot control,” says Mitch.

For instance, after the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, the economy faced another slowdown which significantly impacted commercial construction. During that time, Mitch began to take a leadership role in the company and was faced with the challenge of finding work.

“SPLOST programs were already approved in counties in the metro area, so they were still building,” explains Mitch. “We decided to pursue these smaller government projects and were quite successful.”

The Georgia Tech graduate is very detailed and especially talented at estimating a set of documents, which has led to consistent financial success for Headley Construction’s projects and clients. Mitch realized that he didn’t need to continue spending money on commercial marketing and advertising because public jobs are available to all qualified bidders. This

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IMPACTFUL PROJECTS With literally hundreds of projects completed over the years, Mitch says it is difficult to name favorites. All had unique challenges. Each was important to the client and the community. But three of Headley Construction’s projects really stand out.

“Newnan Lofts is a signature project that enabled the preservation of a building that has real historic value,” says Mitch, who worked as project manager on the development. “My dad bought the Newnan Cotton Mill with the vision of people living and working within the same development.” The project is especially important because it was Newnan’s first mixed use development. “Good things happen when we combine higher-density housing with commercial storefronts where people can walk or bike to work, eat and shop,” says Mitch.

Headley Construction’s most significant government project is the rehabilitation of the Historic Coweta County Courthouse, completed in 2010 and now home to the Coweta County Probate Court and Coweta County’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. To restore Newnan’s crown jewel to its original spendor, SPLOST funds were used at the courthouse where, in the late 1940s, the true story of “Murder in Coweta County” unfolded. Mitch remembers the book as required reading when he was a student at Newnan High School and credits the book and

“We build fire stations, senior centers, school additions and renovations, gymnasiums, and even public pickleball and tennis courts.”

-Mitch Headley, President

Photo courtesy of Headley Construction

change in business strategy molded Headley Construction into what the company is today: a midsize government project builder with remarkable strength in renovation work.

“We still build for private clients in the Newnan, Coweta County area, but our bread-and-butter jobs are competitively bid government projects,” said Mitch. “We build fire stations, senior centers, school additions and renovations, gymnasiums, and even public pickleball and tennis courts.”

Headley Construction is a longtime member and supporter of the work done by the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis. Bill Headley, pictured here with his son, Mitch, and wife, Anita, was recognized as the Coweta County Citizen of the Year by the Kiwanis Club in 2005.

the 1983 movie with bringing the courtroom to life for him. Years later, Headley Construction’s work on the courthouse’s iconic copper dome and historic interior was selected for an Excellence in Restoration Award by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Most recently, Headley Construction completed the dramatic addition and renovation of Central Baptist Church in downtown Newnan. “Thanks to the creativity of the church committee members, and Houser Walker Architecture, the addition ties in with the historic building as if it had been there forever,” says Mitch. “And because I was raised in the church, and many of my family and friends are members, the project is special. To have been selected as the general contractor for this project was especially meaningful to me.”

LOOKING FORWARD The key to Headley Construction’s success is having the right people in place, especially during the hard times. Mitch attributes the company’s outstanding employee retention and project success rates to treating employees like family, which he considers critical to any family-owned business. Over the decades, Bill used his own development projects to keep the Headley Construction team productive during slow economic times. And today, Mitch prioritizes hiring technically proficient talent to accurately

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estimate building costs in order to keep Headley Construction extremely competitive. While the employees are like family, Mitch credits his wife of 24 years, Margaret, with providing muchneeded support at home while caring for their four children so that he could work the hours required to build the business.

These days, Mitch’s right-hand man, Christopher Gilliam, is taking a leadership role in the company. A fellow Yellow Jacket, Christopher has a Master of Science degree in Building Construction from Georgia Tech. As Vice President of the company, he oversees day-to-day construction operations and is involved in strategic planning, business development, estimating, and project management supervision.

Christopher is quick to tell architects, subcontractors and new hires alike, “Although everyone in this company may not have the Headley name, we are all part of the Headley family.” An active past President of Newnan Kiwanis Club and a board member at Christian City, Christopher understands that belonging to a community creates a responsibility to serve that community. “Caring for people and community is our priority.”

“Although everyone in this company may not have the Headley name, we are all part of the Headley family.”

-Christopher Gilliam, Vice President

A FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE From giving back to local communities through careful stewardship and expert management of government-funded projects to advancing mixed-use developments with respectful rezoning that honors historic structures, Headley Construction’s leaders are excited to continue their founder’s mission of building a better world.

Mitch Headley is optimistic about the future of development around Newnan. “As our community continues to grow, we look forward to having LINC right outside our office door,” he said. “I hope to work with the city to redevelop our downtown site to bring more live/work options to Newnan.”

Photo by Clay Neely

When Central Baptist Church planned a major expansion and renovation of its facilities, Headley Construction was proud to help both preserve and grow the historic campus to be more parishioner and pedestrian-friendly. The addition of a large public parking lot increases connectivity not just for the church but for the entire city of Newnan.

COWETA WEEKEND

As Spirits Stroll

Departing from Georgia Tour Company each Friday night, the Spirit Stroll of Senoia takes visitors along the less-traveled and shadowy sidewalks of Senoia.

Tour guide Sally Toole shares her most spine tingling tales, from the earliest legends of Creek Indian lore to more recent stories of residents experiencing paranormal encounters. Curious and entertaining, the tour remains family friendly for all ages. The Newnan Times-Herald and Newnan-Coweta Magazine staff and family members recently took the tour – and lived to tell about it!

Photo by Rebecca Leftwich

COWETA WEEKEND

Strolling with Spirits in Senoia Written by REBECCA LEFTWICH

Photo by Sandy Hiser

A

ABOVE Learn the true life stories behind the markers and statues at Senoia's cemetery when you take the Spirit Stroll.

ghost tour seemed like just the remedy after an unusually stressful couple of weeks at work and home.

I am fascinated by the unexplained, but I know better than to go looking for trouble. I enjoy exploring cemeteries – in the daytime – but I don’t go near ouija boards and I don’t try to summon dead people in mirrors. I already have an unintentional knack for “fooling around and finding out,” as my Gram would say. No point in opening up some theoretical portal to the afterlife just to have her scold me from the other side for interrupting her well-deserved eternal nap.

This one time, though, I was prepared to set aside everything I learned from horror movies, Stephen King novels and growing up with four brothers who liked to jump out from behind things. I ponied up six bucks for a ghost

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 45

COWETA WEEKEND

The idea of flesh-eating zombies leaves me unreasonably terrified, and it suddenly occurred to me that I was in the town of The Walking Dead. hunting app so I could approach things from a scientific perspective (as one does).

By the time I joined the rest of my group in the lobby of the Georgia Tour Company, though, I’d already chickened out of using those “ghost tools.” I convinced myself it was more practical to use my phone’s voice recorder, because I didn’t want to miss any good stories and I was already juggling my phone and a hefty digital camera.

And if my voice recorder happened to pick up

something else? Well, I didn’t go looking for it, so I would be fine.

After introducing ourselves to Sally Toole in the tour’s headquarters – crowded with signed memorabilia, knickknacks, morbid curiosities and all the other essentials of a tourist-driven business – we headed for the bus, with a quick pause to meet Butterscotch, the yellow town tabby.

As is usually the case with ghost tours, the best part of the Senoia Spirit Stroll are the stories that form the foundation of the excursion – stories about births and

Photo by Jackie Kennedy

Below Staff and family members of Newnan-Coweta Magazine and The Newnan Times-Herald stroll through the cemetery in Senoia.

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deaths, families and change, love and hate, history and growth, all notso-neatly wrapped together in one small Southern town; the mysterious stranger who visited two young girls to warn them of a fire, then disappeared; seances on the porch of a local home; the unmistakable rush of angel wings at the exact moment a beloved mother passed away; the newborn cries of ‘Our Baby’ in the home of a childless couple; the house that required visitors to ask permission before it would allow them inside.

We set out in hot evening sunlight to start the tour in the town cemetery.

Staying within earshot of the group, I wandered off to explore alone.

The sky darkened and the wind began to pick up, and I had a brief flashback of a trip years ago to a Port St. Joseph, Florida cemetery and its mass grave of yellow fever victims.

As my husband loaded our children into our minivan, I’d lingered to read the historical marker. He decided to hurry me along with a spinechilling, “They’re coming for you, Barbara,” the line from “Night of the Living Dead” that is uttered about 10 minutes before the furthest I have ever made it into that movie.

The idea of flesh-eating zombies leaves me unreasonably terrified, and it suddenly occurred to me that I was in the town of The Walking Dead.

I hot-stepped my way closer to the group to finish the cemetery tour.

Back on the bus, Sally told the story of dead ringers. During yellow fever outbreaks, she said, towns rushed to bury the victims, who weren’t always dead. Bells were attached to the wrists of those who were buried quickly so that if they awoke from the coma-like state often mistaken for death, these dead

ringers could be rescued. Those who sat up during the night to listen for ringing bells were said to work the graveyard shift.

Her story did not help me overcome my earlier uneasiness.

However, as we drove through town and Sally pointed out former homes of the current cemetery residents (and one very special man-made fishing lake), her stories made me feel a strong connection to Senoia through the people who had once lived there.

By the time we arrived at the Veranda Inn and carefully picked our way in the dark among the tree roots and vines in our path, there was no more creeping horror. In its place was genuine curiosity about the little boy who died generations ago after drinking tainted well water – and who now supposedly haunts the popular bed-and-breakfast.

We finished up back at the Georgia Tour Company, where Sally talked about how she got into the tour business. She refuses to schedule tours on Friday the 13th and as she related that tale I learned a new word: paraskevidekatriaphobia. I don’t share that particular phobia, but after hearing her story, I don’t blame Sally one bit for staying inside and locking her doors when those days come around.

Among hundreds of photos I took during our tour, I found just one tiny oddity. Two members of our group who took live photos caught some unexplained movement, and one says her phone will not hold a charge since she “caught that ghost.”

As for my voice recordings, well, let’s just say you might want to download some ghost tools of your own before you board that bus for the cemetery. NCM

Photos by Jackie Kennedy

COWETA WEEKEND

ABOVE Sally Toole shares true stories, and a few rumored to be true, on Friday night Spirit Strolls through downtown Senoia.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 47

COWETA WEEKEND

Photo by Jackie Kennedy

Strolling with my son Written by JILL WHITLEY

T

he drive to Senoia was quiet. Henry, my 14-year-old son, doesn’t talk much anymore. It’s hard to believe that the little boy who once relentlessly questioned me about how the world worked had grown into such a taciturn young man.

“Do you think we’re going to see any ghosts?”

I asked, desperate for conversation on our way to Georgia Tour Company to take part in their weekly Spirit Stroll of Senoia. Henry looked up from his phone, almost surprised I was still there.

“Dunno,” he mumbled, returning to his text conversation; I turned up my music, resigned to another missed attempt at connection. “Maybe, but probably not.”

We were the first of the group to arrive, and I made small talk with Sally Toole, our tour guide, ready to apologize for Henry’s reticence when, suddenly, that child yelled at me across the storefront. “Mom! Mom! Come look!”

I had forgotten that, for his 14th birthday, one of the things Henry asked for was permission to start watching “The Walking Dead.” Paused in the middle of the third season, and obsessed with the show, Henry was fascinated by the memorabilia strewn through the Georgia Tour Company’s shop in downtown Senoia. Sally grinned.

“Oh, now he’s interested,” she winked at me conspiratorially. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve got eight grandchildren. I can handle this.”

As the rest of our party trickled in, Sally took a few moments with Henry, asking seemingly banal, ABOVE, RIGHT Jill Whitley, right, uses her cellphone's flashlight app to light the way for tour guide Sally Toole.

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innocent questions. To my surprise, he warmed to her right away. Sally asked him to carry her lantern on the stroll, he shyly agreed, and we set off.

On our first stop, a historic cemetery filled with the graves of Senoia’s founding families, Henry quietly snapped photos, occasionally texting one to a friend. I surreptitiously rolled my eyes, damn-near certain he wasn’t listening to a thing Sally said.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. When Sally began talking about how many of Senoia’s early residents died of yellow fever, Henry lit up. “We talked about this in school!”

Sally honed in on his sudden interest in the topic, asking him to explain the concept of “Dead Ringers” to the group. Henry prattled on, then trailed off, embarrassed at his own enthusiastic display. My co-worker Misha, who is wellacquainted with Henry’s often monosyllabic responses to her questions, leaned in and whispered to me, “Jill. He’s talking.”

From that moment, the tour, packed with fascinating historical information and often amusing anecdotes about Senoians both living and dead, captured both of our imaginations: Henry was excited about the movie trivia Sally wove into the narrative, and I was excited that, after 18 months of learning through a Chromebook screen, Henry was talking, listening, laughing and engaging again.

That evening, Sally not only brought history to life, she revived my sullen, pandemic-weary son.

Henry might not have seen any ghosts, but I did: the spectre of the relentlessly curious, unapologetically enthusiastic little boy my now-teenager had once been. NCM

THE FAIR IS BACK! 6 1 .

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Remember ber.

9-11, 20 Years After

Where were

you?

Coweta firefighter raced to New York to help with recovery efforts Written by EMILY KIMBELL Photos courtesy of COWETA COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE

here were you when the world “W stopped turning?”

Newnan’s own Alan Jackson asked that poignant question in a song with that title, which he wrote a few weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington D.C. The country music superstar later told reporters that the song came to him “like a gift.” After waking up one morning around 4 a.m. with a chorus stuck in his head, he started piecing together his thoughts and emotions surrounding the tragic events. He has said that he “ just didn’t want to forget how I felt on that day and how I knew other people felt.” When he first performed the song at that year’s Country Music Association awards show, he was met with a standing ovation – and gratitude for how he’d captured the weight of the event with such sincerity.

Twenty years have passed since that fateful day, but Jackson’ words ring true: It’s hard to forget where you were when the world stopped turning that day.

Coweta County Fire and Rescue Captain Mark Griffin remembers when he learned of the attack, and his response was one of action. ”I never would have fathomed that the towers were going to fall,” he said. “I immediately called the fire chief and said, ‘If we send anyone to New York, I would like to be considered as one to go.’ ” Griffin did go to New York to help with the rescue and recovery efforts. He was one on a team of eleven sent from Coweta County; the first group of five left two days after the attack. Part of the second group, Griffin left the Sunday after September 11.

By the time he and his group arrived, it was a recovery effort. “The dog teams would come at night,” he recalls. “They would do their smelling of everything and mark it. Then we’d come back in the daytime and start

Coweta County Fire and Rescue Captain Mark Griffin was on one of two local teams that assisted in rescue and recovery efforts immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

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While many of the nation's fire departments that assisted after 9-11 received commemorative pieces of the Twin Towers in gratitude for their help, most of those remembrance pieces were small, while that given to Coweta County Fire and Rescue was an enormous piece weighing several hundred pounds. The gift was due to the local department's swift response, according to Firefighter Mark Griffin who was among Coweta's dozen who traveled to assist in New York City twenty years ago.

digging with our hands and a five-gallon bucket.

Everything was just dust – compacted dust.”

Despite the tragedy around them, Mark recalls the spirit of patriotism that was inspiring during that time. “Everywhere we went, we didn’t have to pay for food, gas or a place to stay,” he said.

“Everyone who knew we were going to Ground Zero, they paid for our entire way. While we were here, people felt compelled in their hearts to cook food, bring water, bring clothes, bring gloves, bring glasses, bring respirators. They just felt the need to come and help.”

After the Coweta firefighters returned home, the

local fire department sent in an application to the Port Authority in New York to host a piece of the fallen World Trade Center as part of the agency’s program to memorialize the event. Coweta County’s memorial piece is located at the Coweta County Fire and Rescue Headquarters on Turkey Creek Road in Newnan.

The department received the piece in 2012.

Griffin says the department chose to exhibit the piece unaltered, and he remains impressed by its size and significance. “Most got a piece the size of a cell phone,” he said. “Coweta got a piece that weighs hundreds of pounds.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 53

The firefighters who worked at Ground Zero memorialize September 11 in a variety of ways.

Griffin gathers a group of people together to climb Stone Mountain each anniversary. They climb in their gear and take a moment of silence for each time a building was hit and fell. Griffin says the act is symbolic. “Our brothers climbed those towers to put out the fires, and we are continuing their climb,” he says.

September 11 was catastrophic, and the memorialization is certainly worthy, even twenty years later, according to Griffin. “New York lost 344 firefighters,” he says. “Coweta doesn’t even have 344 firefighters in its whole department.

They lost over 80 pieces of apparatus. We don’t even have that many. They lost captains, lieutenants, chiefs, a chaplain.”

Not only were lives lost and mourned, but the entire landscape of the nation changed: airport security became federalized with the creation

of the Transportation Security Administration, architecture codes for skyscrapers were changed, anti-Islamic violence saw a staggering increase, and forty-eight bills and laws were approved or signed into law as a result of the events.

Despite the tragedy and loss, Captain Griffin wants people to remember the patriotism displayed above all else.

“I think when people are faced with something bigger than them, they stop being petty about other things that they thought were important, and they come together,” he says.

The acts of kindness, the outpouring of support, and the love of country is what he chooses to remember this twentieth anniversary of the attack.

“It didn’t matter if you were old, young, male, female, black, white – you came to help and do what you could do,” he concludes. “Everyone was part of a common goal.” NCM

Service set for 20th Anniversary of 9-11

We Remember

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"I remember that in Newnan after 9-11, people were stealing flags off of front porches because everybody wanted a flag to wave to show they were American."

Funk also recalls how 11 firefighters from the Coweta Fire Department rushed to New York to help with rescue and recovery efforts. (See accompanying article.)

Along with singing the National Anthem and "God Bless America," the observance will include a rendition of Jackson's famous song, Funk adds. NCM

Photo courtesy of Verna Funk

For almost each of the 20 years since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Verna Funk has spearheaded a memory vigil. The first was two decades ago on the day after the tragedy.

"Our Cub Scouts were meeting at St. George Catholic Church, so we wrote "Get Well America" letters and sent them to President Bush and had a candlelight ceremony," she recalls.

Since then, Funk has led an observance almost each year since 9-11. This year's event is set for Saturday, September 11, at 7 p.m. at Veteran's Memorial Park at the corner of Jackson Street and Temple Avenue in downtown Newnan. Funk encourages guests to bring lawn chairs for the onehour ceremony.

The theme of this year's service is based on Alan Jackson's hit song "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," according to Funk. Past observances have included participants reading scripts of actual messages or recordings from those in the towers or on airplanes in 2001. This year's event will feature Coweta residents recalling where they were when they learned of the attack and how it impacted them, says Funk.

"It's the stories that sometimes you don't hear about, and we share stories like these every year.

We try to show the magnitude of the event," she says, recalling one such story in particular:

9-11-2011: Scouts routinely take part in the 9-11 remembrance ceremony in Newnan each year, including in 2011 when these Cub Scouts participated.

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Written by REBECCA LEFTWICH | Photography by GORDON KILGORE

E

ven in his own garden, Gordon Kilgore doesn’t stay put for long.

“I figure if I’m going to be down here, I might as well be doing something,” he says, pulling weeds and inspecting for bugs as he settles among the flowers for a quick photograph.

ABOVE Gordon Kilgore enjoys the front garden of his Sharpsburg home.

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Kilgore, 83, is far more comfortable on the other side of the camera. He was already a husband, father and successful businessman in his 30s when he first bought a Pentax Spotmatic and began to teach himself photography. Unsatisfied with his initial efforts, Kilgore upgraded to a Minolta with autofocus.

“It didn’t help a lot,” he says. “My pictures were not very good, so I started reading books and going to workshops, and I learned the mechanics of it.”

In the 1980s, a chance encounter led to the publication of his work in a

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COWETA ABROAD

The La Piccola Cuccagna Restaurant in Rome, Italy, is a stunner. La Piccola Cuccagna means “little but plenty.”

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COWETA ABROAD

RIGHT Chukchi children in the extreme northeastern part of Siberia, known as the Russian Far East, exude joy.

BELOW Street performers entertain at the Festival d’Avignon, an annual arts festival in Avignon, France.

magazine, and soon he had built a lucrative side business selling stock images and doing custom work for various publications and real estate developers. An avid traveler, Kilgore began offering his photography skills to cruise lines in exchange for free passage. To date, his hobby has taken him to 170 countries around the globe.

It also has partially funded his 136 river and ocean cruises, which account for the 1,569 days – the equivalent of four years – he has spent on the water.

That pattern of pragmatic interest, hard work and success has repeated itself many times over in Kilgore’s life. The retired entrepreneur is a Life Scout, an accomplished bowler and skier, swimmer, diver, woodworker and former motorcycle racer. He’s an expert shot with a rifle, can operate a tractor with a loader, and 58 |

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has experience in everything from installing flooring and wallpaper to gunsmithing to beekeeping, taxidermy, canoeing and coin collecting.

Unlike some of his generation, Kilgore has embraced the technological age including computers and digital photography. And he’s a firm believer in investing for the long haul. In 1983, he bought a pressure washer and 500 feet of heavy duty, professional-grade garden hose. The meticulously cared-for washer lives in the garage of his Sharpsburg home, and the hose is stored on a reel and never left outside in the hot sun or freezing temperatures.

“I daresay that there are not many people who haven’t had to replace a water hose in 38 years,” says Kilgore, who advocates buying quality products, taking care of them and investing the money it would take to replace them.

That advice applies across many areas of his life.

Kilgore invested the money he earned from two jobs over two summers into an engagement ring for his college sweetheart, Margaret. They met at what is now Georgia State University, where Kilgore wooed his future bride on dates in a “very used,” oil-guzzling 1949 Ford he’d bought from his uncle for $450.

His marketing studies had honed his persuasion skills.

“He finally persuaded me that I needed to marry him,” says Margaret. But the gorgeous emerald-cut diamond came as a surprise, and she told him so. His response, she recalls: “Do you have any idea how many shotguns I could have bought for what that ring cost?”

The Kilgores have been married 61 years, but their

marriage didn’t start off smoothly. The U.S. Army plunked them down in Arizona, far from friends and family and homesick first-time parents to a colicky honeymoon baby. By 1963 they were back in Georgia, preparing to open a men’s clothing and shoe store in Fairburn. But there was one problem.

“I did not know anything about selling either clothing or shoes,” says Gordon.

He learned to fit and order shoes and how to manage a business from a LaGrange storekeeper in exchange for sweeping the floor, arranging stock and selling merchandise. He made a similar arrangement with the owner of a men’s clothing store in Decatur. Within a few years, Kilgore’s store was thriving and by 1978, he SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 59

CLOSER LOOK

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Gordon Kilgore’s photography has partially funded his 136 river and ocean cruises, which account for the 1,569 days – the equivalent of four years – he has spent on the water.

Dug by Swedish prisoners of war, Nyhavn (New Harbor) in Copenhagen, Denmark, was constructed by King Christian V from 1670 to 1673.

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COWETA ABROAD

“Do you have any idea how many shotguns I could have bought for what that ring cost?”

Photo by Rebecca Leftwich

– Gordon Kilgore

was ready for a change. By then a father of two and an experienced businessman, he sold the store for 30 pinball machines and some cash.

In the ensuing years, a lucrative game business and single-family rental homes provided a good living for the family. That income, along with good saving habits, which began when 6-year-old Gordon Kilgore sold turnip greens for 10 cents a bundle to neighbors, have allowed the retired ABOVE, LEFT Margaret and Gordon Kilgore have been married for 61 years.

ABOVE, RIGHT Margaret Kilgore, left, enjoys a Sunday picnic with the family of a farmer in Tajikistan.

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couple to travel extensively in their golden years.

Those travels have given Gordon the opportunity to explore the world through his camera lens, and he’s found his share of human universality during these adventures.

In rural India, he unknowingly headed down the path to the “ladies bathroom” area of a broom sage patch before a local waved him off. He once wandered a little too far into the wrong section of the La Boca area of Buenos Aires and was assaulted by two men who robbed him of a camera and tripod.

But that didn’t discourage him from spending the day with a stranger in Scotland. Gordon was exploring an area on his own while the rest of his group was on a tour when a local man asked if he was going to visit the cemetery.

Gorden accepted a ride to tour the cemetery and the ruins

of an ancient abbey, plus an invitation to have tea and meet the stranger’s dogs at his home before returning to his cruise ship.

The world traveller says it’s not difficult to find someone who speaks English in just about any city in the world, but he resorts to animated gestures and the assistance of tour guides in rural areas.

In every city, he finds pockets of rundown areas, which he prefers because they are more photogenic and the people who occupy them are less aloof than their wealthy counterparts, says Gordon. “They’re just more down to earth, and that seems to be true all over the world,” he adds.

His and Margaret’s request to see a farm in rural Tajikistan turned into an invitation to partake in a Sunday

picnic dinner with the farmer’s family. The meal was reminiscent of a Southern church’s dinner on the grounds.

“It was better than any paid excursion,” says Gordon.

In most countries, especially in rural areas, it’s considered a treat to have American visitors, the couple has found. When Gorden was traveling Tibet by Jeep, he was invited into a home and offered butter tea, a concoction of yak milk and tea.

In Russia, the Kilgores were invited into homes along the river path they were traveling to share tea – minus the yak milk. It’s typical of the experiences they have had in their travels.

“People are the same all over this world, and most of them are good people,” says Margaret. NCM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 63

ONE

Watch 2021

to in

One to Watch in 2021 is an NCM initiative to recognize those making headway in their careers or volunteer efforts.

Nominated by Jennifer Yeager of Sea Glass Therapy, NCM is proud to feature Hank Arnold as One to Watch.

“We are open to how people recover; it’s as diverse and different as there are people. All you have to do is show up.”

– Hank Arnold

The force that is

Hank Arnold Written by FAITH FARRELL | Photographed by DEBBY DYE

T

RIGHT PAGE Coweta FORCE Executive Director Hank Arnold.

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o meet Hank Arnold, executive director of Coweta FORCE (Friends of Recovery for Community Empowerment), is to truly meet a force of strength.

Coweta FORCE started in 2016 in downtown Newnan as an advocacy group for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Having worked in addiction treatment for seven years before developing the nonprofit, Arnold sought to create an organization where the goals attract not only those in recovery but any with interest in the topic, thus generating a community conversation and momentum.

“The challenge was awareness on substance abuse and mental illness,” says Arnold. “We have all this research and data on the devastation of mental illnesses and substance abuse but virtually no data on people getting better, although we know people get better.”

Arnold passionately educates with some shocking statistics: More than 82,000 Americans were lost to overdoses in 2020. And more than 23 million Americans live in recovery from substance abuse.

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ONE TO WATCH

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ONE TO WATCH

ABOVE The Coweta FORCE staff includes, from left, front: Jennifer Sylvester, Billie Jane Gossage, Susan Drew and Zoe Powell.

Back: Shelly and Hank Arnold.

“What he has built here affects the entire Southside.”

– Jennifer Yeager

– Tanner Low

RIGHT Instructor Zoe Powell leads a restorative yoga class for Coweta FORCE participants.

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Coweta FORCE serves as a resource and support center with a staff of five trained recovery coaches who teach life skills, like creating a budget, and link clients to educational and employment opportunities, such as getting a GED or creating a resume. They refer clients to stabilization and treatment opportunities, including sober living facilities, and open their office for Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

“We wanted to be a place in the community where someone could show up without an appointment and have a safe place to explore their next steps or options,” says Arnold, noting that addiction strikes all societal groups. “It doesn’t discriminate and knows no social, economic or class bounds. A lot of times, the shame of the stigma will keep people from coming forward and even having a conversation.”

Arnold and his staff have all lived the experience.

“All of our staff are people from recovery and more of us than not have had some sort of experience with the criminal justice system as a result of what happened with addiction,” he says. “That gives us credibility.”

The Coweta FORCE facility at 48 East Washington Street invokes calm, cheer, safety and hope. Yoga mats are piled to the side of a bank of donated computers. Clients are welcome to use the computers to research job or education opportunities. The mats are pulled out every Monday morning when a yoga instructor on staff leads a class for free.

For more than a year, Coweta FORCE has provided yoga in prison twice a week, not only to bring yoga to a population that most likely wouldn’t experience it, but also to make introductions, according to Arnold.

“We establish relationships with the people there, so when they come out they’re more than likely to connect with us because we’ve already established that connection,” he said.

Hank and his staff make reaching out as simple as possible. “We know that when people need support they don’t need it tomorrow, they need it today,” he

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ONE TO WATCH

said one day in July after sending an Uber to pick up someone who had reached out for help but was stuck at a hotel in Atlanta. Before the day was done, the new client was well on his way to being directed to the resources and aid he needed.

“We are going to help you with what your goals are,” Hank says. “If I can have a connection to an environment that supports me in my recovery – if I can live a life of purpose, value and meaning – I’m less likely to self medicate with a substance.”

Jennifer Yeager of Sea Glass Therapy nominated Hank as One to Watch.

“Hank is the easiest person to talk to and connect with,” says Yeager. “He is an amazing human who is literally a community hero – and not just in Newnan.

What he has built here affects the entire Southside because it’s the only one in its area. And he partners with so many other organizations to help people meet their needs.”

Hank gets excited when discussing community partnerships.

“That is another core value about us: mutually beneficial partnerships,” he says. “Recovery happens in communities through relationships that are nurtured and nurturing. We need allies to be part of this conversation.

While we believe the opposite of addiction is sobriety, more importantly, it’s connection.”

That connection to community was in full display at this year’s Fourth of July parade in Newnan when more than forty Coweta FORCE staffers, clients and their family members walked, all void of shame or stigma.

“One of the things we wanted to do was to put a positive face and voice on recovery and show our families, people of different phases in their recovery, all identifying publicly as being in recovery,” says Arnold.

Coweta FORCE has plans to move into a larger building a few blocks away from their original location and looks forward to community input as they expand.

“What can we provide in this space? What has helped you come back from something hard? It’s bigger than not drinking or not taking a drug. It’s about lifestyle and how we can nurture these relationships and have pro social events and activities,” says Arnold. “You don’t have to be in the 12-step process. We are open to how people recover; it’s as diverse and different as there are people.

All you have to do is show up.”

Hank Arnold is a man who has, indeed, shown up.

He’s a force. NCM

SAFE & SOCIAL CALL MIRNA TODAY! 770-461-0039

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COWETA ARTS

The Donald W. Nixon Centre

Bringing Art to Cowetans, Young and Old Written by JEFFREY WARD | Photos courtesy of THE DONALD W. NIXON CENTRE

J

ust east of downtown Newnan stands an edifice of grand proportions known as the Donald W. Nixon Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Here’s a true-or-false pop quiz: The Donald W. Nixon Centre was financed and built by a wealthy benefactor. False.

The Nixon Centre was built to host rock concerts. False.

The Nixon Centre’s Patrons of the Centre organization is a 501(c)(3) taxexempt organization. True.

Owned by the Coweta County School System, the Nixon Centre was financed with Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funding and opened in 2004. While other school districts might dream about having access to such a worldclass facility, Newnan is fortunate to have this outstanding facility.

Centre Director Cathe Nixon is effusive in her praise for what the school

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system offers the community through the Nixon Centre.

“We are especially indebted to the direction and foresight of the Coweta County School System,” she said. “It is fantastic that we have their support, encouragement and their vision to share with our students.”

According to Nixon, the Centre strives to be a “house of excellence – an extension of the classroom no matter the age of the student.” It meets this goal by introducing community members to the arts in a variety of ways, from holding art shows to concerts.

The idea of the facility first germinated in the mind of former Coweta County School Superintendent Richard Brooks.

After Coweta County voters approved the SPLOST measure in 1997, construction began in 2002 and the Centre opened on April 1, 2004. Donald W. Nixon served as the centre’s first director and, by all accounts, its visionary engine. A former coordinator of fine arts for the local school

The Donald W. Nixon Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts, above, opened in Newnan in 2004 and continues to serve Coweta County School System students and the public at large.

COWETA ARTS

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TOP LEFT The retirement dinner for Coweta County School System employees is held each spring at the Nixon Centre.

BOTTOM LEFT An “onstage” evening concert in June 2017 featured Duo Sonidos with William Knuth on violin and Adam Levin on guitar.

TOP In 2018, Amor Towles did an author lecture and book signing at the Nixon Centre. His books include “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “Rules of Civility.” The event was part of the Centre’s Anne Quinn Powell Author Series.

ABOVE The July 2019 S.T.A.R. production of “The Wizard of Oz” at the Nixon Centre featured, from left, Walter Lloyd as the scarecrow, Charles Still as the lion, Sammy Morrison as Dorothy and Avery Brook as the tin man.

system, Nixon steadfastly bucked the national trend of underfunding the arts, and he brought that creative energy to the Centre, according to Director Cathe Nixon.

The facility features an art gallery, lecture halls, dressing rooms and an expansive lobby capable of hosting galas and big events. The crowning glory is the 1,000-seat, state-of-the-art theater.

Before the 2020 pandemic, the Centre was beyond busy, according to Cathe Nixon.

Statistics from the 2018-2019 season were eyepopping: An estimated 130,000 people passed through the Centre’s doors. More than 12,000 students participated in 22 professional lectures, shows and master classes. More than 9,600 members of the community attended 18 shows by touring companies.

In 2017, the school system revived the Superintendent’s Theater Arts Resource (S.T.A.R.) program, a summer program in which all three of Coweta County’s high schools take part with performances directed by the high school teachers and produced by the Nixon Centre. In 2018, nearly 200 students participated in summer S.T.A.R. theater and visual arts camps.

While 2020 brought a change in procedures, the Centre remained active for the most part.

“Technically, we never did close but adopted and strictly adhered to The Center for Disease Control’s COVID guidelines,” said Cathe Nixon. “Because of the enormous size of the Centre’s theater and lobby, we easily and safely accommodated social distancing standards and carried on with most regularly scheduled faculty activities.”

Some of the Centre’s more popular prepandemic programs are tentatively being revisited, including the Centre Strings program, which originated in 2004 under the auspices of Donald Nixon and Lyn Schenbeck as a community orchestra open to students of all ages. Another of the Centre’s longtime programs, the Masterworks Chorale, which consists of local amateur singers, routinely performed at least three concerts annually until the roadblock of COVID stopped activity last year.

While the Nixon Centre is financially supported by the school system, a nonprofit sector undergirds private financial assistance with fundraising through Patrons of the Centre. Along with providing funding for the Centre, the Patrons provide scholarships for students of the Arts, and they fund Grow the Arts summer camps. NCM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 71

COWETA GARDEN

COWETA GARDEN

Plots, Patches and Patios PRETTY CITY AND CHARMING COUNTRY GARDENS Written by ROBIN STEWART | Photographed by SARA MOORE

Whether greenthumbs reside in a lofty city townhome or a rustic country farmhouse, their devotion to raising plants and/or vegetables can be equally passion-filled and productive.

Heather Hale anticipates the day coming when her mini sunflowers will bloom in her city garden.

LEFT Tom Andrews picks squash at his Coweta County farm.

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COWETA GARDEN

Cultivating the Country If ever Coweta was home to a country squire, it’s Tom Andrews. Charming, friendly and unmistakably Southern, Andrews is also a talented gardener whose hobby spans five decades. He has what it takes to coax a dazzling array of delicious homegrown veggies out of his land, from green beans and tomatoes to squash and okra.

Nestled on 26-plus acres in Moreland, Andrews describes himself as primarily a vegetable grower, although blueberries, muscadines and even a fig bush thrived in one of his three garden plots this summer.

If his face is familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen him selling surplus veggies for 30 years at the Coweta Farmer’s Market held Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Asa M. Powell Sr. Expo Center in Newnan.

As a farmer’s son, working the land has long been part of Andrews’ life. “I’ve been gardening since I was six, the first 20 years against my will,” he jokes, admitting that he still enjoys it. “It gets in your blood.”

The word “organic” is now common in

the food lexicon, but the Moreland resident has been gardening organically for 30 years, long before it was cool. Though not officially certified organic due to what he calls “USDA red tape,” Andrews chooses to grow organically, saying “It’s the right way to treat your soil.”

Some gardens feature raised beds. Andrews has worked with those but primarily utilizes the traditional row method. A garden of any size, he says, is almost a fulltime job.

Hard work, heat, rain, weeds and critters of all kinds can present challenges even to a seasoned gardener like Andrews. His largest garden is fenced to keep deer out, but rabbits and squirrels easily breach the enclosure. The farmer finally quit trying to fight them. “I just plant enough for the rabbits,” he says with a laugh.

His 16-foot-square kitchen garden is planted just five feet from the house he shares with wife Rhonda. The kitchen garden is so named because he or Rhonda can simply walk out of the kitchen and handpick the freshly grown vegetables needed for a meal. Tomatoes, yellow squash, corn and some okra are grown in this small plot.

The jewels of the larger garden include okra,

RIGHT TOP Heather Hale packs in a bounty of vegetable plants in her small plot garden in town.

LEFT When selling produce at local farmer markets, Tom Andrews displays his vintage sign and fresh-picked veggies.

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“Gardening is cheaper than therapy – and you get tomatoes.”

– Tom Andrews

hot and sweet peppers, yellow squash and peas. “You plant what you like to eat,” says Andrews.

While his focus is on growing vegetables, the Coweta farmer’s gardens featured a floral guest this summer: gladiolas that he planted at the request of his daughter.

He buys seeds from a catalog or from Arnall Grocery, where he once worked, and plants the same vegetables year in, year out, but often tries new varieties.

Andrews is an active member of the Down to Earth

Organic Garden Club, established 17 years ago. Meeting monthly, the members share intel and learn from each other. “I’m still learning, 50 years later,” says Andrews, who recently found a sign that seems to sum up his passion: “Gardening is cheaper than therapy – and you get tomatoes.”

Haute City Horticulture While most wannabe gardeners wish for a green thumb, Heather Hale’s entire hand is emerald.

A lovely lavender crepe myrtle softly greets guests at the Newnan home she shares with her fiancé Ryan Shaw. An arbor adorns the front gate. Plantings and their blooms are found in the front, back and side yards. Wildflowers growing along the white picket fence are pure whimsy.

Potted plants cover the expansive, Southern, wraparound front porch, complete with hanging ferns and flowers. The back deck has lined railing planters, baskets and more free standing planters.

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Photo by Heather Hale

Color abounds at the Newnan home of Heather Hale, much thanks to her green thumb.

Photo by Heather Hale

COWETA GARDEN

Pole beans, top, and sweet potatoes, above, grow annually at the Coweta County farm of Tom Andrews.

A wooden chair serves as a plant holder for Heather Hale.

Hale and Shaw live in the downtown College-Temple historic district where they’ve made the most out of their quarter-acre lot. Their 1840s-era home boasts a city garden paradise. In just a year at their address, they have transformed their in-town landscape into a feast for the eyes.

Color, texture and blooms abound with absolutely striking hot pink stargazer lilies and greenery in various stages of growth. Brilliant yellow sunflowers are the stars of the garden, creating a dazzling visual that reaches dizzying heights.

“The tallest we’ve measured is 12 feet,” says Hale. “We were amazed by it.”

Out back, the veggie patch grows in two raised planters.

Squash, zucchini, corn, jalapenos, okra and basil thrive in beds while tomatoes take up their own narrow planter.

Many accent pieces in the garden were retrieved after the March tornado, according to Hale, who salvaged select items as debris was discarded. An antique

headboard is now home to her tomato plants. Potted birds of paradise are situated on either side of an old church pew. A wooden porch chair, another antique, is home to a few potted plants.

Sifting through trash is “kinda not normal” Hale says with a laugh. “But I have to go look,” she adds. “Trash becomes treasure.”

Gardening has been a natural extension of Hale’s longtime fondness for plants. She says she’s always had houseplants, and she’s even taken in plants that others don’t want or couldn’t properly care for. Call her a plant rescuer.

For example, she’s proud of the ficus she’s had for 10 years. Her elephant ears are huge now, and the azalea bushes were brought from a previous address and transplanted on their land. She’s even kept mums alive – for three years!

“It’s neat to see things you’ve had for a long time keep flourishing,” says Hale.

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COWETA GARDEN

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She and Shaw call their yard a secret garden, but it appears the secret is out.

Recently, a movie production team noticed the verdant setting with its beautiful blooms and approached the homeowners about using their yard in a film. The couple welcomed them.

Work and Bounty

Coweta County’s most interesting people, places and things are here...

HOW TO ADVERTISE

If you would like information about how to advertise your business, call 770.253.1576

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER Advertising Deadline SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 Publication Date OCTOBER 30, 2021

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At both the Andrews’ country garden and Hale and Shaw’s city version, vegetables are grown for consumption, but the yield is so plentiful, the families often share their bounty with friends.

Like its country cousin, a city garden is a lot of hard work, according to Hale, who says pulling weeds and keeping clover at bay are constant must-do activities. She learns through trial and error, and says she’s not afraid to move things and replant as necessary.

“This was my first year planting wildflowers,” says Hale. “They’re thriving in some areas but not in others. That’s the learning curve.”

Both rural and in-town gardens can be plagued with pests.

“I battled the squirrels for sunflowers,” Hale says. “I even replanted because they got to the seeds and dug them up.” She plans to use protective screens in the future.

One common uninvited visitor in rural Coweta gardens hasn’t been a problem for her, though.

“We haven’t seen a deer here yet,” she says.

That’s one advantage to gardening in the city. NCM

By Bonnie Annis

Coweta Prose & Poetry B

onnie Annis has always loved rural living and enjoys photographing scenes and venues in and around Coweta County.

Both native Atlantans, she and her husband Phil have lived in Newnan for seven years and are proud to call it home. Bonnie is a breast cancer survivor, natural light photographer and freelance writer.

Bonnie Annis

My soul resides under crumbling red clay, tangled muscadine vines, and the comforting arms of gnarled live oak trees.

It feels like home to me.

Dusty dirt roads, weathered fence posts, and spiky barbed wire, Fat grazing cows and lush green grass, Clapboard houses with peeling white paint, numbered mailboxes all in a row, Beat up cars, and sturdy porch swings.

No place I’d rather be.

Simple life, simpler times.

Everything, slow and easy.

Georgia backroads, with secrets deep and wide.

Rusty tin silos, round baled hay, shoulder deep corn fields, and buzzards flying high Azure skies and linen white clouds – sights treasured and familiar.

Dip me in sun-kissed watermelon bursting with sweetness.

Serenade me with soft buzzing bees, banjo twanging frogs, and a cool gentle breeze.

Wrap me in nightingale song.

Georgia, sweet Georgia, my forever home.

NCM

Share Your Prose

Share your best work with us and we may publish it in an upcoming issue of Newnan-Coweta Magazine.

Are you a closet poet?

Or a creator of short fiction?

Submit your work along with your name, address, email address and daytime phone number to magazine@newnan.com or mail or drop by our office at Newnan-Coweta Magazine, 16 Jefferson St., Newnan 30263.

Photo by Bonnie Annis

Georgia Backroads

ABOVE Truth in Nature leaders and kids prepare for adventure, from left, front: Program Director Tony Doolittle, Tamir Calloway and Nahmelle Cruz.

Back: De'Sean Adams, Caleb Owen, Julian Owen and mentors Jamie Grubb and Tim Williams.

LEFT Mentor Jamie Grubb educates Caleb Owen on the importance of gun safety and aiming for skeet shooting.

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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

Truth In Nature “Tight lines, steady aim, cleansed hearts” Written by JEFFREY WARD | Photographed by SARA MOORE

T

ony Doolittle’s resemblance to Santa Claus should come as no surprise. Like Santa, he’s a perfect mix of father figure, mentor and hero.

Program director for Newnan’s chapter of the Truth in Nature ministry, Doolittle becomes a father figure for the young men served in the outdoor ministry for fatherless boys. As the father of seven, a baseball coach, counselor and youth leader in his church, he’s well-equipped to serve as a mentor for young men.

As a hero, he’s a distant relative of legendary World War II aviator Jimmy Doolittle, leader of the 1942 raid over Tokyo. So, being a hero to young men runs in his blood.

A lifelong outdoorsman, Doolittle says he has dedicated himself to Truth in Nature, which focuses on teaching boys the manly arts of hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and archery while promoting healthy male comradery. While participating in outdoor activities with the boys, mentors counsel them on what it means to become men of integrity, even though most have no adult male role models at home.

Truth in Nature founders Jeff and Carrie Davis both grew up without fathers for part of their youth – Carrie’s father died when she was 12, and Jeff was young when his parents divorced.

They began their ministry in 2009 with two young boys. Twelve years later, the program has grown to include 15 chapters, primarily throughout the Southeast, and their plan is to expand the program nationwide.

Truth in Nature’s Newnan chapter holds camp activities at a remote site south of Rockmart. The property in a rugged and deep woods environment features as its centerpiece an eight-acre lake stocked with bluegill, crappie, bream and catfish. Making the spot ideal for adventurous young boys are two dozen cabins, a fivestation skeet shooting range, 3D archery range, waterfall and cave.

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Boys at camp have four flat bottom boats at their disposal for fishing, and their mentors teach them how to clean and prepare their daily catch. Marksmanship is one of the most popular activities, and a favorite spot for the campers is the fivestation skeet shooting range at the property. At least once a year, a deer hunt is organized, and the ministry also has conducted squirrel hunts and plans to host a dove hunt. With each shooting activity, local law enforcement volunteers drill the boys on proper firearm safety. Campers practice their archery skills using life-sized game animal mannequins.

Young participants share their enthusiasm for the outdoors program.

“It really helps to get outside and learn outdoor activities because I don’t have a dad to do those things with,” says Julian Owen.

“I’m meeting cool people, shot a shotgun for the first time ever, and everyone treats you like family,” De Sean Adams chimed in.

Recruiting qualified male mentors for camp activities is the ministry’s greatest need. Prospective mentors are scrupulously vetted with background investigations, and mandatory checks are conducted each year. According to Doolittle, requisites for mentoring are a love for God and outdoor activities, plus a desire to establish meaningful relationships with fatherless boys under their charge.

Doolittle’s background makes him an ideal candidate for leading, mentoring and evangelizing fatherless boys in Coweta County. During his 27-year-career with Delta Airlines, he became involved with former New York Yankee World Series hero Brian Doyle in coaching youth baseball. Through Doyle’s Global Sports Federation’s worldwide ministry, Doolittle visited Cuba to coach baseball, and he worked extensively through his church as a youth counselor to elementary school-aged children.

The outdoorsman’s involvement with Truth in Nature began in February 2020 when he began mentoring two young boys. As with the rest of the world’s plans, the COVID-19 pandemic brought his fledgling ministry to a temporary halt. With activities back on track in summer 2021, he mentored six boys and had plans for including up to 12 more in upcoming camps.

Coming on strong like a modern-day Saint Nick on steroids, Doolittle exudes jolly optimism in all that he encounters and does. He shares his own take on the critical importance of the mission of Truth in Nature and his place in the program.

“This is the time of life when boys need their dad the most, and even though we’re not going to replace their dad, we can fill that void by teaching them how to respect others and how to love God and experience fellowship with Jesus Christ,” said Doolittle.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Truth in Nature receives funding through churches and private donors. Jay Wallace, benefactor and a major sponsor of the Truth in Nature camping facility, hopes to bring in several outdoor corporate sponsors to undergird expenses.

Whether they’re fishing for bream, spelunking or practicing marksmanship, the young campers and their mentors all have the time of their lives – so much so that it’s hard to figure out who’s having more fun, the kids or the adults. Call it a win-win for all involved as the future of Truth in Nature grows brighter. NCM 82 |

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ABOVE Caleb Owen playfully hugs Tony Doolittle, his mentor, during a session on gun safety.

Doolittle considers it a success when the young men he mentors can be themselves.

RIGHT From left, Jay Wallace, who welcomes youth and their mentors onto his property for Truth in Nature adventures, and Tony Doolittle take a break from activities with camper Julian Owen.

OPPOSITE PAGE Truth in Nature camp kids play a friendly game of basketball in between archery and marksmanship lessons.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 83

COWETA COOKS

For the

Love of Venison

Written by JACKIE KENNEDY | Photographed by SARA MOORE

A

s program director for Newnan’s chapter of Truth in Nature, a mentor program that teaches young boys outdoor skills, Tony Doolittle’s knack for cooking over a campfire comes in handy.

He knows his way inside a kitchen, too. As a young boy, he learned to cook from watching his mother and grandmother.

“They were both excellent cooks who could make just about anything,” said Doolittle, recalling that his grandmother even cooked squirrels.

Retired from a 27-year career with Delta, Doolittle learned to hunt as a young boy and has passed down his love for the outdoors to his own son and grandsons. He recalls camping trips to Colorado with his son. “We enjoyed hiking together in the mountains, pitching a tent, hunting and cooking food over the open campfire,” he says.

Skills he teaches boys through Truth in Nature (see Nonprofit Spotlight on page 80) include hunting and cooking what’s bagged. “There’s just something about preparing a meal over the hot coals that makes food delicious,” he says.

Doolittle and his wife Jennifer enjoy meals at home and an occasional dinner out. While he ran his own welding shop and tree cutting business in the past, his latest side gig is portraying Santa Claus at local Christmas events.

When it comes to cooking, whether indoors or outside, Tony Doolittle has a certain way of doing things. He uses venison in meals two or three times a week, substituting it for beef in chili, spaghetti, soups, stews and hamburger patties.

“Venison can easily be used in so many traditional dishes like chili or burgers,” he says. “I’ll use cooked chunks of venison to spread over rice or mashed potatoes with gravy, and I enjoy venison tenderloin as well.”

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Tony Doolittle's campfire recipes easily transition to stovetop cooking in the kitchen.

COWETA COOKS

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 85

COWETA COOKS

Like many proficient cooks, he doesn’t always go by the recipe.

“Sometimes, I like to make up new recipes as I go along,” he says. “I’ll use a pinch of this or a pinch of that and get creative.

Mr. Doolittle is a big fan of Mrs. Dash, his favorite seasoning, which can be used to add flavor to most anything, according to Tony.

But there’s one ingredient you won’t find in his meat dishes, and that’s Worcestershire sauce. He’d rather add chopped onion and sprinkle salt and pepper to jazz up his venison and beef.

RIGHT Tony Doolittle's game specialties include cooking venison and squirrel.

“These meals are easy to prepare camping or at home, either in the oven or on the grill.”

– Tony Doolittle

Oven Baked Frito Pie Recipe by Tony and Jennifer Doolittle 1 pound lean ground meat

(venison, beef, turkey or chicken) 1 (16-ounce) can chili beans 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with

chili peppers 1 envelope taco seasoning

(regular or low sodium) 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexi-blend cheese 3 ½ cups corn chips 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

Olive oil spray Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat and drain.

Add beans, sauce, tomatoes, seasoning mix and 1/4 of the cheese.

Spray bottom and sides of 8x8-inch baking dish with olive oil spray. Sprinkle 1 cup chips in bottom of baking dish; cover chips with meat/sauce mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven; top with sour cream or yogurt and remaining chips and cheese. Bake 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and enjoy.

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Pan-Fried Deer Burgers Recipe by Tony Doolittle 1 1/2 1 2 2

pound ground venison cup flour egg, beaten tablespoons butter or margarine tablespoons Mrs. Dash seasoning Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste Olive oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl and mix together well. Cover bottom of frying pan with olive oil; turn stove to medium heat. Form patties with meat mixture. Cook and enjoy.

COWETA COOKS

Venison Stew Recipe by Tony Doolittle 1 onion 2 pounds venison stew meat 3 tablespoons oil 1 can tomato sauce 1 ½ cups water 6 carrots 3 potatoes, chopped

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste Brown onion and meat in oil. Add tomato sauce and water. Simmer for an hour. Add carrots, potatoes and more water if needed. Add seasonings and cook until vegetables are cooked.

Fried Squirrel and Gravy Recipe by Tony Doolittle

Silver Turtles Recipe by Tony Doolittle Onions Potatoes Carrots Venison chunks or beef tips Butter Cut up onions, potatoes and carrots. Add some of each with venison or beef and place in middle of a sheet of aluminum foil. Add a pat or two of butter and fold aluminum to wrap food inside. Place tightly wrapped foil pouches on hot coals in a campfire and cook for about 20 minutes.

Variation: Use this method to cook freshly caught fish, too. Add a little garlic, salt and butter on top of the fish, fold foil to make a pouch, and cook on coals in campfire or on the grill.

Venison Meatloaf Recipe by Tony Doolittle 1 cup bread crumbs 1 cup milk 1 pound ground venison 1 egg 1/2 cup onions, chopped 2 to 3 strips of bacon Ketchup

3 to 4 squirrels, skinned and quartered Buttermilk 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons black pepper 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

Cooking oil 2 cups milk Marinate squirrels in buttermilk for at least an hour. Mix flour, salt, pepper and seasoning in a large zip-seal bag or paper bag. Remove 3 tablespoons of seasoned flour to use later to make gravy.

Remove squirrels from buttermilk and drop them in flour bag. Shake until meat is evenly coated, and place onto a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes; allow crust to settle.

Heat half an inch of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry each side of squirrel for 10 to 12 minutes with the lid on the pan to help soften it. When meat is brown and cooked through, place portions in a covered dish to keep warm while you make the gravy.

Pour oil from pan, reserving 3 tablespoons in pan. Add 3 tablespoons of seasoned flour and stir until lightly browned. Slowly add milk and continue to mix. Stir until gravy has thickened and you see tracks when you push a spoon across the pan. NCM

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix bread crumbs and milk together. Add venison, egg and onion; mix thoroughly. Shape into a loaf. Place strips of bacon on top and then add ketchup. Put about 1/2 cup of water in a baking dish or pan, place the venison loaf inside, and bake for 1 hour, uncovered. To cook more quickly, put mix into muffin tins and bake 1/2 hour.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 87

DAY TRIPPIN’

Down

on the

Farm

Annual Inman event returns to honor farm heritage Written and Photographed by JACKIE KENNEDY

F

or a taste of how farm life was a few decades back, Inman Farm Heritage Days returns for three days in September at Minter’s Farm near Fayetteville.

After canceling last year’s show due to the pandemic, this year’s event marks the 24th staging of the popular farm show featuring displays of tractors and farm implements, antique cars and trucks, and demonstrations of various old-time farm tasks, like grinding corn into meal and making sorghum syrup.

In the Minter family since 1936, the Christmas tree and vegetable farm is now operated by Rick and Joanne Minter and their daughter Stephanie Adamek. Two events are held at the farm each year, Heritage Days in September and an antique truck show each summer.

With Heritage Days set for Friday, September 17 through Sunday, September 19, Minter's Farm is located at 283 Hill’s Bridge Road. For more info, visit mintersfarm.com. NCM

Whether farmers or collectors, tractor owners are invited to bring their antique tractors for display at Inman Farm Heritage Days. A tractor parade highlights each afternoon.

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DAY TRIPPIN’

Glen Roberts Sr. poses with his John Deere tractor.

Will Donnelly powers a tractor to run the grist mill while Christopher Peeples handles operations inside.

Ben Merchant leads a demonstration at the sorghum mill where visitors can watch and learn how to make their own sorghum syrup.

A freelancer who’s written about racing for more than 40 years, Rick Minter welcomes visitors to his family farm to reminisce about their rural heritage and bygone days.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | 89

COWETA CRAFTS

Payton’s Place Instructions and Photography by PAYTON THOMPSON

Pretty newspaper flowers are a cinch to make with our easy-to-follow instructions.

Read your copy of The Newnan Times-Herald first, and then turn it into a bouquet of flowers!

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COWETA CRAFTS

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Home | Life Auto | Business

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Get a jumpstart on the holidays by trying out your favorite cookie recipes – or coming up with recipes of your own – and submitting your best to compete for prizes in contest categories: Traditional Cookies and Decorated Cookies. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category after a panel of independent judges rates cookies on taste and appearance. A Grand Prize winner will be chosen from the top entries.

Contest entrants must submit six to 12 cookies and the recipe in order to qualify for judging. All entries must be delivered to Newnan-Coweta Magazine’s office at The Newnan Times-Herald at 16 Jefferson Street, Newnan, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23, or between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 24. Judging will take place on the afternoon of Sept. 24 and winners will be announced in the magazine’s November-December issue.

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Blacktop

Photo by Elise Farn

ham

er to find a late spring flow A spider explores rary shelter. tempo

Photo by Laurie Mattingly

A mourning dove nests out side the balcony window during Newnan resident Laurie Ma ttingly’s vacation at Tybee Island.

Photo by

G

ary Wilso a Cou n are a s nty homegr own to weet s matoe ign of s su m m er.

Cowet

submit your

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Email us your photos of life in and around Coweta County and we may choose yours for a future edition of Blacktop!

Photos must be original, high-resolution (300 DPI) digital photos in .jpg format, at least 3x5 inches in size.

Photo by Holli Walpole re The sky at dusk paints an incredible pictu nan.

New in at Arbor Springs

Please include your name so that we can give you credit for your photo in the magazine!

Email your photos with the subject “Blacktop” to the address below.

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Ollie, th

e Boykin

Photo by J osie Exner

spaniel, to play. waits patiently

autumn ON THE SQUARE Labor Day Sidewalk Sale • Sept 3-6 Sunrise On The Square 5k • Sept 4, 8am Fall Art Walk • Sept 17, 5-9pm Oktoberfest • Oct 1, 5-9pm Spirits and Spice Festival • Oct 23, 2-7pm Munchkin Masquerade • Oct 29, 10am-12pm Recurring Events: Market Day • 1st Sat of the Month • 10am-2pm Farmer’s Market • Mondays until October 11, 2pm-6pm

Photo by Clay Neely Charlie Neely pedals his bike in preparation for the Tour of Coweta when he’s older.

Photo by Ga

ry Wilson

family g with his . in ik h m o rk k fr Pa es a brea nd State Gimli tak attahoochee Be h at C

MAINSTREETNEWNAN.COM

THE WRAP-UP/TOBY NIX

Tomato sandwich, RC on the side M

y wife called me out to the garden the other day. It seems one of the tomato plants had fallen over, taking its post with it.

The bad news is it was the second time this summer that particular plant had fallen over. The good news is that it kept falling over because it was so full of tomatoes. And she grew this one from a seed.

Fried green tomatoes have been a large part of our summer menus because of how well her tomatoes are doing. And as much as I like them, there is one thing I like better: tomato sandwiches.

The branches held a nice mix of green and red tomatoes. The green, we fry. The red, we slice and put on bread, along with some salt and pepper and Duke’s mayonnaise.

I know people in the South are as passionate about their mayonnaise as they are about Coke versus Pepsi and Georgia versus Georgia Tech, but I’ll take Duke’s Mayonnaise and Georgia Tech every day of the week and twice on football Saturday.

The soda thing, I don’t care much either way. If I had to choose, I’d pick RC Cola just to not give the other two the satisfaction.

The only mayonnaise preferred by decent and God-fearing people aside, we’ve had a great year for tomatoes. We also had a cucumber boom the likes of which may land us in Gardening Quarterly.

In addition to having homegrown cucumbers packed in my lunch every day for weeks, my wife pickled two huge jars for future reference.

I don’t know how things like that work out. Two years ago, we were up to our ears in cucumbers, and then last year, they didn’t do much of anything. Same yard, same soil, different results.

As everyone who knows me knows, my wife is the gardener. I’m the apprentice, at best. But I do enjoy learning, and each year I grow a little bit more and am able to identify what she’s growing, even before it blooms, a little bit better.

This year I planted a couple of tomato plants on my own as well as some jalapeno peppers. I’m not saying the food that comes off my plants taste better than hers, but I’d certainly like to imply it.

The only thing that hasn’t worked out well for us this year is the okra. We both planted okra and as of August, neither of us have had much to show for it, which is a shame because I’ve never had a version of okra that I didn’t like.

Thankfully, we had a great okra season a few years ago and still have a few bags in the freezer for Gumbo days.

That goes great with a Duke’s mayo-’mater sandwich and an RC on gameday. NCM

Southern-born and Southern-bred, Toby Nix is a local writer who works in law enforcement.

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Your Local Real Estate Experts Georgia Properties Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties recently contributed $15,000 to the Newnan Coweta Board of Realtors Relief Fund following the devastating EF-4 tornado that hit Coweta County in late March.

Thanks to our agent Jacque Hill for raising awareness and her leadership towards this cause.

N E W N A N | C O W E TA O F F I C E | 7 7 0 - 2 5 4 - 8 3 3 3 L I N DA H U F F | S R . V P & M A N A G I N G B R O K E R W W W. C O W E T A . B H H S G E O R G I A . C O M | T H E F O R E V E R B R A N D © BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity