i(
Holiday Keeps
Stores Busy - 3
IIHIIIIII III I IIIIIIIII I IIIIIIIIIIIIII II IIII
News in
Pictures - 2
ii iii,ii IIII I IIIIII I1' II IIIIIIIIIIIII I I II I I
The
,71H AYBUI-2
PO [OX i 64
TI7ON GA 6
..] 79B. ]
FOR Abl
Rains Help
Gardens - 8
22
PRSRT STO
AUTO
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
HOGAISVILLE, GA
PERMIT NO. 35
Formerly The Hogansville Herald
Received Each Week in 4,000 Homes in the Hogansville-Grantt00le Area
Throws Support Behind Sales Tax, School Proposal
has gone on record sup-
proposed sales tax increase
bring school and recreation
here.
council voted
"e
Fellow Troup cities
already
would include a new
School, $30 million for
in LaGrange
for renovation facilities
in the three municipalities.
Citizens will have an opportunity on
Sept. 18 to vote for a pair of one-cent
sales tax increases that would raise $49.8
million far school construction and recre-
ation renovations in West Point,
LaGrange and Hogansxflle.
The current one cent sale tax for edu-
cation vail expire on June 30, 2002. The
new vote will allow the SPLOST to con-
tinue and will add another one cent sale
tax, according to Speer Burdette,
President of the 'qYoup Together" com-
mittee, who addressed the council dur-
ing the meeting, hoping for support.
He noted that half of all costs will be
paid by tourism, out of towners passing
through or state workers.
Burdette said tax is the fairer than
raising property taxes.
Also speaking for the resolution was
Assistant County Manager Mike Dobbs,
Assistant School Superintendent Frank
Gurley and Assistant Recreation
Director Don Howell.
Dobbs said the proposed government
center will be 152,000 square feet and
cover the entire block between W.
Haralson Street and Ridley Avenue,
Burdette said he knew these were
bold plans. "It's a bold vision of what our
community could be," he stated. "It is
what most of our neighbors are already
doing."
The plans for Hogansville to get
two new ballfields on Mobley Bridge
Road. McGhee and Hendrix fields would
be renovated, tennis courts resurfaced,
and a new pavilion and bathrooms and
concession stand added on Mobley
Bridge Road. The William Griggs cen-
ter is to be renovated.
After hearing that LaGrange would
get a large baseball complex on Ragland
Street and a large center on LaFayette
Parkway, local residents began to speak
an6 ask questions.
Citizen Lee Hanners said, "we pay
too much taxes now and not getting
enough education."
Bill Snkiewicz said he was for edu-
cation and would vote for the school con-
struction tax but not for the recreation.
"It is crazy for you to come up here
and ask us for more money that is going
to be spent in LaGrange," he said, "We
are already burdened with taxes, now."
Jean Crocker made the motion to
adopt the resolution with Larry Dorrough
making the second. Dorrough said this
is the way to allow everyone a chance to
make his own decision about the matter.
Jimmy Jackson and Ezra Whitmore
voted in favor of the measure.
Set;
Get
r council
ago unanimously
the FY 2001-2002
1.
is for $5,723,100
a five percent raise
a one dollar per
-- feet of
on irai d art
in water rates by 30
Wery 1,000 ganons.
could cost the
St,so-
thanked
for adding an extra
citizen's
D Services.
:, you will
consideration the
starting to raise
said.
Harris
made a motion to
give the seniors
a $5 and not the
$4 off eaCh ,
ty.
Councilman
Ezra Whitmore
said the tele-
phone company
will honor the
discounts, but
will have to contact
r and ask
discount.,' The
is 780-2355, toll
OUTSTANDING - These you thrilled the aL as they performed dunng the Annual
Dinner Theater at St. Paul AM.E. Church, Hogansville, on June 9. Left to right, Adrienne Nicole
Perkins performed a ballet to the theme from The Preacher s Wife; Jasmine Stembridge per-
formed an interpretive dance to the spiritual Wade in the Water, Tarver Alexandria Jones danced
a hula, Sweet Leilani, and in a different act, Tarver performed a vocal solo - Andrae Couch's
Jesus Is the Answer; and Marquez Hall recited Books of the Bible and Believe in Yourself.
Other participants on the bill included Matthew Geter, Ms. Fran Russell, Mrs. Roenell West,
Mrs. Ida Tarver Jones, Cameron. The program was coordinated by Mrs. Roenell
West. Rev. J.C.
Cops Seek
'Big Fdan'
In ShootL00g
ay aryc.mt ......
The Hogansvflle Police are
looking for a "big man" who shot
a victim in the back.
The incident that occurred
Sunday around 1:45 &m.
According to police, Eric
Maurice Tucker, 24, of Turner
Street in LaGrange was shot in
his lower back at Celebrities at
Highway 54 and Bass Cross Road
near 1-85.
Reports state that
Hogansville Police Officers S.
Dunklee and K.D. Chandler were
standing at the Chevron Station
when they heard two gunshots at
the back of the building.
Tuker showed them where
he was shot and the EMS was
caged.
lcker told the officers that
a "big man shot me."
Police went to the other end
of the building ad found John
Diandre Hines, who had blood
running from his mouth.
No weapon was found on him.
He told police four or five men
jumped on him near the heat
pumps behind the Chevron
down, Hines said
gunshots, so he got up to leave.
Police went back to Tucker to
see if he could identify Hines but
he declined He was transported
by EMS to the West Georgia
Medical Center in LaGrange
where he was treated and dis-
missed.
Hogansville Investigator Guy
Spradlin said it seems that a
group of men were talking in the
parking lot and an altercation
occurred with a gunman, who
fired two shots and fled the scene.
The incident is under inves-
tigation.
• In another case which hap-
pened on July 4, Gloria Booth of
Rite Aid Pharmacies, told police
a black male took an undisclosed
amount of cigars and ran out of
the store without paying.
• On July 7,Pete Cosby report-
ed to police someone had taken a
skillsaw and a jigsaw both valued
at $40 each from his porch at 402
Oak St. According to police
reports, the items were returned
on July 8.
dudng the ow
und' Investment •
Hogansville's Smith Family FL, uls Fame, Forame After Launching Music Theatre
A HJle family who moved to the moun-
tains several years ago has found enormous suc-
cess with a nationally-acclaimed music tlPtre.
The Southern Nights Theatre on the parkway
between Sevierville and Pigeon Forge presents
music ranging from country and oldies to gospel
and bluegrass.
Comedy plays a big role, too.
The Statler Brothers say, "Itis the funniest act
we've ever had on our show."
But the # story started right here.
As a boy in Hogansville, Charlie Smith had
dreams of owning his own music theater.
He and his brother Jim would go to the moun-
tains of Tennessee during the summer and work
They liked the area so much that they con.
vinced their parents, Bill and Betty Smith, to move
to Pigeon Forge.
The Smith boys played at different theaters
and shows ingluding DollywoocL
Four years ago, Charlie's dream became reali-
ty. With much prayer and a lot of hard work, the
Smiths opened the "Southern Nights" music the-
ater.
The family-oriented show lasts two hours.
FLASHBACK- Chadie Smith, (R) and son, Pete
Smith (L) of Sot,them Nights are in their dress-
ing room with Jerry Reed. As Jerry the
dressir room, he'noticed the lle City
Umit" sign and remembered he visited the city
when he was filming the rnovle ey and the
Bandit" several years ago.
At the end of each show, a big Cross brightens
the background and Jim tells the capacity crowd
that this music theater was possible through
The faciliW haJ been such a success thatit was
voted by the Mountain Press for the Reader's Choice
Award in 1999 and 2000.
The Smiths boys have never forgotten their
roots.
Several times each year, they travel back
"home" to Hogansville to see old friends.
Last summer, Jim, Charlie and Charlie Bob,
Charlie's son who performs with his dad and uncle,
met with hometown friends in downtowm
Hogansville.
Many locafls were on hand as Hogansville's
Mayor Wilson St. Clair, who coached Jim in the
first year of little league football in HogansviUe
in 1969, gave his bracelet to Jim.
The bracelet was given to the coaches by the
team's mother after g all the games that
year, St. Clair said.
Jim and Charlie gave Hogansvilie's "Wolfe,"
an old friend, an autographed guitar.
It hangs in the Hogansville Pharmacy for all
to see.
Charlie was a Hogansvflle High School gradu-
ate who played football for the mighty Greenwaves
and Jim graduated from LaGrange High SchooL
For more information on Southern Nights music
theater, call 908-0600 or 800-988-7804 or go online
www.southernnightstheater.com.
