May 2019 – Hartwell and Beyond

Month: May 2019

Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course

Across our state there are eight state parks which offer a guest the opportunity to play golf while visiting. From Lake Blackshear and Georgia Veterans’ to Victoria Bryant and Highland Walk, these courses give the golfer an opportunity to test their skills across our state in a variety of ways as different as their locations. [caption id="attachment_595" align="alignleft" width="150"] Hole 5, par 5 at Arrowhead Pointe[/caption] If there is something that I have learned over the past forty years of enjoying the game, it is that there are no two golf courses that offer the same challenges or even the same looks as its neighbor. Sure, all courses usually feature a combination of par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes. What separates one course from another is how does an architect uses the design of each of the 18 holes is what separates one course from another. No where…

Sharon Swint – Lake Hartwell’s Concierge

I first met Sharon about 4 years ago. Without a doubt, she is someone who makes you feel immediately at ease. She is relentlessly cheerful, no matter what is going on in her life, and is a breath of fresh air. Swint is a native Hartwellian. Her father, Pinky Thompson, is well know in the area. He developed our EMS service! Swint graduated from Hart County High School and go married, 2 children, a boy and a girl, followed. Swint began working the banking industry and steadily worked her way up in a successful 13 year career. Then.....the banking crisis hit and North Georgia was overrun with former bankers. What to do? What to do? She started driving in 2011 as a private chauffeur. She liked it. "Daddy wanted me to be a nurse, I enjoy care taking," muses Swint. But finding steady driving was a challenge back then, so…

2019 AAA State Championship Golf Tournament

[caption id="attachment_546" align="alignleft" width="150"] Elizabeth Jackson, Hart County, lines up her shot.[/caption] Congratulations to the golf teams from Westminster High School and Pierce County for capturing the 2019 AAA State Championships this week at Cateechee Golf Course and Arrowhead Pointe Golf Club. At Cateechee, the Wildcats of Westminster captured their second straight title, shooting a 13 under par 263 to lap the field in the boys tournament. Westminster was led by William Love, who had rounds of 68 and 67. Sam Lampe from Westminster finished second with tournament rounds of 71 and 68. The Lovett School of Atlanta finished second with a two round total of 608, while Pierce County finished third with a score of 646. Down at Arrowhead Pointe, The girls team from Pierce County captured the state championship, edging North Hall by 3 shots. Sloan Lanier lead Pierce County with a two day total of 152, while…

Ayers to head Georgia POST Council

Following a nomination by Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp, the Police Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.),has selected Hartwell native, Mike Ayers, as the new Executive Director effective May 15th, 2019. In this position, Ayers will be charged with training all of Georgia's Corrections and Peace officers. From the POST website, the "mission of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.) is to provide the citizens of Georgia with qualified, professionally trained, ethical and competent peace officers and criminal justice professionals. A 30 year veteran with the GBI, Ayers was most recently the Special Agent in Charge of Region 11 in the Athens field office. Of the new position, Ayers said, "I am excited. This is a great opportunity to serve Governor Kemp and the State of Georgia." Ayers observes that for many people, an interaction with an officer of the law may be the first interaction with government.…

Southern Alpaca Connection- Lavonia GA

[caption id="attachment_266" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Alpaca "beans"[/caption] George and Judy Dick may be the most entrepreneurial minded people I have ever met, and I come from a family with a long history of self-employment. I mean, who looks at alpaca poo and says. “we should start roasting our own coffee and call it Alpaca Beans?” George is retired from the UGA Carl Vinson Institute and Judy is a retired teacher of hearing impaired students. On day, about 16 years ago, Judy saw an ad for Alpacas on HGTV. At the time, Alpacas was a business for those with solid funding as at the cost of breeding was very high. In 2003, the Jobs and Growth Tax relief act provided a hefty tax incentive of up to 100% of the breeding stock cost. Breeding stock was selling for $25,000 and even up to $750,000 at auction. Billed as “the investment you…

The Flowering Bridge, Lake Lure NC

When the Rocky Broad River Bridge closed to traffic in 2011, the community was faced with a decision, tear the historic bridge out, or find another way to preserve the bridge. The community chose to find another use. They decided on a 155 foot garden: I think that qualifies for some major upcycling! I see so many abandoned bridges across my travels. I wish that more communities would see the potential and make them bridges to community. These gardens are truly wonderful. Different gardens were done by different groups and still somehow the garden is a cohesive botanical wonder. There is a children’s fairy garden, there are herbs, there are botanical sculptures and so much more. As we wandered through, we both found plants we loved, some, like Cuphea llavea 'Georgia Scarlet' or bat-faced flower, were a cherished rediscovery. The bridge spans the French Broad river at a particularly serene spot.…

Chimney Rock/Lake Lure NC

Sometimes you just have to get away, right? Whether it is from a significant other, work, kids or just everything, calling a time out is just what the Doctor ordered. Last Fall, I took a time out with a friend who was also in need. We wanted someplace not too far away, so we could make the most of the few days, but far enough away to feel like an escape. We wanted some good options for meals, a comfortable place to lay our heads and some interesting things to do. Lake Lure, North Carolina checked all the boxes. We took off and drove a beautiful drive of only about 2 hours [caption id="attachment_294" align="alignleft" width="225"] On a "beach" at Lake Lure, with restaurants in walking distance[/caption] away from Hartwell piddling along. I had made reservations at the Esmerelda Inn which was perfect for us. The Inn sits right off…

Henson Forge and Leather

It was a series of weird Facebook issues that led me, to my delight, to making contact and meeting the Henson brothers, Clayton and Jimbo. Second generation stonemasons, the Hensons of Lavonia started dabbling in forging. Jimbo had started making railroad spike knifes with a friend in North Carolina. Jimbo was hooked on this particular forging of knives, but he had been making knives for 20 years. The knives are true forged art and come in wide variety of styles. As Jimbo's craft grew, a need arose for sheaths for the knives. Little brother Clayton stepped up and with the help of YouTube, learned leather work. Clayton's wife, Jennifer, wanted a leather bag, so Clayton set to research again and a whole line of leather goods was formed. Clayton works with all types of leather including ostrich, bison, alligator and, of course, cow to create handbags, totes, wallets, belts, jewelry…

Earle Street Review

I am a huge proponent of shopping and eating locally. I will not get on my soapbox, well, just a little, when we eat at our local restaurants, we are supporting not only a local family, but also our own community. Taxes and profits stay in the community and one of the first things that a restaurant, whether chain or individual, looks at in a community, is how well does that community support the restaurants already in the community. So stay LOCAL! However, as a character on a local opinion show explained to me, we live in Mayberry. When you live in Mayberry, sometimes you want to go to Mt Pilot. And let’s face it, Target and other great shopping lures are all in our Mt. Pilot, Anderson - The Electric City. So while the purpose of our website is to promote all things in our region, we will cover…

Forx Farm

Looking out of the window on our way to see a movie in Anderson, I was surprised to see a sign advertising a farm and cheese. “Cheese, Cheese?” I had to explore and find out. I really like finding local cheese makers. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was not a goat cheese but a gouda, a cow milk cheese made famous by the Dutch. Who knew? Ron Lubsen is a Dutch native who moved to the states in 1980. An engineer by trade, Lubsen had traveled to Ghana, Saudia Arabia, Iran and other places, before being assigned to Florida. He and his wife,Tammy, moved to their farm outside Anderson and opened his own company with clients like Krispy Kreme and Arby’s. His specialty is in glass bending and he built a vast warehouse to house the tools of his trade. Lubsen had grown up milking cows and…