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The
i i
Formerly The Hogansville Herald
Serving the Hogansville-Grantville Area Since 1944
PRSRT STD
AUTO
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
HOGANSVILLE. GA
PERMIT NO. 35
I
VOL. 66, NO. 43 HOGANSVILLE, GEORGIA- FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009 12 PAGES • 1 SECTION • 50¢
Photo By ANDY KOBER
BIG CROWD IN TOWN - The food court at the Hummingbird Festival nearly resembled a Walmart store on a Friday
night, C0ol temperatures apparently had little effect on those planning to visit as the festival was crowded on both
Saturday and Sunday. The overall number" of visitors was down slightly, but festival committee members report the
revenue was nearly the same as last year and a number of vendors have already committed for the 2010 Hummingbird
Festival,
\:~: .T-.~-jo=-% .......
By ANDY KOBER crowds despite a twist in the cold temperatures and windy
events offered by Motherconditions along with rainy
The 12th annualNature. and overcast skies on
Hogansville Hummingbird Just in time for the festi- Saturday.
Festival was visited by large val, Mother Nature broughtBut the impact appeared
Photo By ANDY KOBER
DISHING UP THE EATS - Chef Sammy Deusch and Pappa Grasso's Italian Bistro pre-
pared the succulent dishes served at the Hummingbird Festival Dinner. Hogansville City
Council member Jean Crocker had some trouble deciding what food items to get, so
Chef Deusch helped her decide. Also shown are Donna Arnold and Elaine Carr. See
more photos on pages 9A and 10A.
minimal as good crowds
attended both days of the
Hummingbird Festival.
Ralph Lynch, who serves
on the festival committee,
estimated that about 10,000
people attended the festival
over the two-day event.
Hogansville City Mana-
ger Bill Stankiewicz, whoalso
serves on the festival com-
mittee, said that while the
crowd was less than last year,
the amourit of revenue gen-
erated was about the same.
He added that a number of
vendors have already com-
mitted to the 2010 festival.
THE HUMMINGBIRD
Festival committee expand-
ed the celebration this year
by adding new events.
New this year was the
very successful Humming-
bird G01f Tournament.
Rain soaked the Hogans-
ville Golf Club on the day of
the tournament, but the event
went on as planned with 44
golfers participating.
The team of "3 Athletes
and Kyle"-composed of Kyle
Mimbs,.Patrick Strickland,
Glenn Strickland and Chuck
Strickland - won the inaugu-
ral event..
THE ANNUAL Hum-
mingbird Festival Dinner"
was held Thursday, October
See FESTIVAL Page 9A
The Hogansville Downtown Ms Boyer promises lots of new sur-
Development Authority (DDA) will host prises this year. "It's been totally re-
the haunted house again this year at the vamped - no pun intended," she says.
Royal Theater. The theater was butt in 1944 and
The event was so popular last year operated as a movie theater for many
that it's been expanded to two weekends, years before it fell into disrepair. The
"This is a really scary haunted building and land were donated to the
house," says B.J. Boyer, Chairperson of city in 1981 by Ralph Howard, St., and
the Haunted House Committee. J, Ralph Matthews, Sr.
"Parents ofchildrenunder 10are strong- Several years later, the city reno-
ly cautioned" to tour the theater before vated part of the building and it now
deciding if their children should be houses the offices of Hogansville City
allowed to enter. Hall.
Unsafe Buildings rge ted
By ANDY KOBER
The Hogansville City
Council is considering two
ordinances that, if adopted,
could have far reaching
effects.
One ordinance will con-
cern unsafe or unfit buildings
or structures inside the city.
This has been an issue for
a number of years but recent-
ly gained considerable atten-
tion whena photograph of the
old laundromat, located on
the corner of Granite and
Askew, was featured in this
newspaper.
City officials had report-
edly been unable to have cer-
tified letters delivered to
Sherman Yarbrough, owner
of the building and resident
of Panama City, Florida. But
when the photo appeared in
the newspaper, Yarbrough
was presemt atLhe ext city
council meeting
of compl ts and a promise
to haverthe old 6uilding
brought "up to code" in 90
days.
i1,, ,, i i ,, , rl
Buildings¸
Under Fire
• B~g,
unfit for hv~an
habitation.
• Buildings
h°~ v~-hJcb there
are ~nsafe or
unsanitary
cc~ndffions.
Vacant
, 5~
bu~dJng~ being
used for
drug-related
cringes.
THE CITY is currently
operating under an old ordi-
nance in attempt g to take
corrective me rres on some
of the buildings in
Hogansville.
During last Monday's
council meeting city attorney
Jeff Todd was away with
attorney John Taylor serving
in the role.
As Todd previously noted,
Taylor told council members
that recent action bythe state
legislature gave local gov-
ernments considerably more
power in dealing with the
issues of dwellings unfit for
human habitation, commer-
cial buildings where the use
is not compliant with appli-
cable codes, vacant buildings
that are being used for drug-
related crimes and buildings
or unsafe conditions.
Taylor noted that some
buildings are excluded from
the new provisions with one
example being buildings nsed
for agricultural purposes.
PROCEDURF for mak-
iqg complaints regarding
such buildings werebriefly
outlined as was the appeal
process,
Taylor said that under the
new legislation, the city could
make repairs or have a build-
ing demolished with a lien
placed against the property.
Underneath those offices, however,
the theater itself and the basement
remain largely untouched - except
around Halloween. Photo By ANDY KOBER
"h's big, old, smelly, and falling STILL A STAR- ,Jack Thrower receives his Hogansville
apart," says Ms Boyer, noting that it's High School Hall of Fame plaque from Kevin Wegienka,
got the perfect atmosphere for a haunt- of United Bank. In the .1940s, Thrower was a star in both
ed house. "You probably don't want to track and field and football. He was a member of the
be in there alone."
Ms Boyer and a cast of other volun- Hogansville team that fell victim toAttapu!gus Thanksgiving
teers have been decorating the haunt- cooking. Shown with Thrower are his sons, Mike Thrower
(left) and Dr. Ben Wade Thrower (right). See more photos
See HAUNTEJ) Page 2.A on page 6A.
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