Sunday Alcohol Sales in Douglasville and Douglas County

So I have to ask….has the ban on Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia finally outlived its purpose?

Do any of us even remember what the purpose was?

The ban is part of what is referred to as a blue law.  Blue laws were basically passed to enforce religious standards….in the case of the state of Georgia it was mainly passed to help folks  observe Sunday as a day for worship and rest.

  

Originally the laws included a ban on shopping along with Sunday sales of alcohol.  Eventually the shopping ban was lifted, but the alcohol ban seemed firmly entrenched in the Georgia code as well as in our sweet little old traditional minds.

Apparently God isn’t offended by shopping and eating out.

Now, I don’t normally have an issue with traditions.   I observe a few of them myself, but when it comes to a point where you are making others observe your traditions or religious practices as a matter of law…..no…..it’s just not right.

As you might have heard Governor Nathan deal signed into law SB-10 last April providing the opportunity for cities and counties across the state to allow citizens to speak their minds at the polls regarding Sunday sales.

Last November over 100 different cities and counties voted on the issue and the majority spoke proclaiming while religious views should be tolerated they should NOT dictate what every citizen should have the right to do or not do.

In my neck of the woods, however things have run at a much slower pace.   We have politicians who wanted to “study” the issue.   We also have politicians who firmly believe in keeping the Sabbath holy and are firm in their convictions we should follow their example no matter what.
    

This article from the Douglas County Sentinel advises four [county] commissioners [recently] spoke in a manner indicating they support the alcohol votes, but one was adamantly opposed.

“We are talking about taverns, Taco Mac, places like that all over the county,” said District 4 Commissioner Ann Jones-Guider.   “It will affect our police, our jail.  There will be broken families.  How will it look when people leave the church and go to a tavern to have a beer?  I don’t think this is a pro-family rule to put on the ballot.   I don’t want us to be like Atlanta and Fulton Industrial Boulevard.”

You know….I visit Taco Mac quite frequently.   It’s a great addition to the restaurants we have in Douglasville.  Yes, they have a great selection of beer.   Yes, lots of people go there due to the selection of beer.   They also go there to have dinner.   I guess the Commissioner doesn’t frequent Taco Mac or “places like that” or she would notice there are many families with children of all ages who frequent Taco Mac…..I’ve seen little league teams there having their victory dinners.   Sometimes I even go on Sunday and see folks enjoying a meal after church….and yes, I see friends who I know attend local churches and they enjoy a beer or two…even on Sunday.

The Sentinel article continues….Sunday retail sales have been approved in Villa Rica, Austell, Hiram and other areas surrounding Douglas County.   The Douglasville City Council will vote May 7 on whether this will be put on the ballot.   Due to this, some commissioners view alcohol sales as an economic development issue.

“This will give our businesses a level playing field,” said District 2 Commissioner Kelly Robinson.

Guider sees it differently.

“We are supposed to keep the Sabbath,” Guider said.   “We have ‘in God we trust’ on our car tags.  If we are going to trust him, we need to obey him.  Who are we praying to if we aren’t going to trust and obey?”

If I’m not mistaken “in God we trust” is an option with car tags….not a requirement.
  

Hmmm….that’s interesting.  I can choose to have 'in God we trust' on my car tag, or I can opt to not have it, but I can’t pick up a bottle of wine at the store on a Sunday and go home to enjoy it along with my dinner like I can any other night of the week.

This Sentinel article quotes District 3 Douglas County Commissioner Mike Mulcare, who favors putting the measure before the voters.  “I have nothing against Subway and Wendy’s.  I frequent those restaurants, but they are not the quality restaurants where you take family or celebrate a birth or a wedding.”

Richard Segal is the administrator of a Facebook group called “Douglasville and Douglas County for Sunday alcohol sales.  The group can be found here. Though the group is mainly focused on Sunday retail sales, Segal supports restaurant alcohol sales in the county as well. 

Mulcare said he has seen people in his district sit down in a restaurant only to leave after learning they could not be served a beer.  “This is an example of government intrusion into a business decision,” Mulcare said.  “This is us governing how a business operates.”

It’s at this point I think I should interject that Mr. Mulcare and Mr. Segal don’t drink.   “It’s not about me being for or against it,” Mulcare said.  “It’s about the people being for or against it.  I don’t feel they elected me to decide for them.”

Gee….a politician that GETS it.

How refreshing!

20 Upcoming Festivals and Events Across the State of Georgia

What comes to mind when you see the word “festival”?

I think of great and interesting food, art and crafts, homegrown entertainment, contests and many other things usually centered on one event or product such as blueberries, pine trees, chicken, and dogwoods. 

As you will see this list of 20 festivals I have here have all of those things and more.

So, mark your calendars and visit some of these festivals!

….and let me know about any I might not know about.

1. April 13-14, 2012 Living History Days at the Foxfire Museum in Mountain City, Georgia…..presenting the everyday activities of life living in the Southern Appalachians

2. April 14-15, 2012 Perry Dogwood Festival in Perry, Georgia with arts and crafts and so much more.

3. April 14-15, 2012 Lake Lanier Arts and Crafts Festival and Boat Show

4. April 20-21, 2012 Hawkinsville Harness Festival….For almost forty years, Pulaski County has celebrated its enduring bond to harness racing with the Annual Harness Horse Festival.  The Festival prides itself on an outstanding facility, community spirit, and fantastic entertainment.

2011 Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival, Douglasville, Georgia

5. April 20-21, 2012 Big Shanty Festival….Kennesaw, Georgia

6. April 21, 2010 Southland Jubilee….Greensboro, Georgia

7. April 28, 2012 Spring Chicken Festival….Gainesville, Georgia

8. April 28-29, 2012 Smyrna Jonquil Festival….on the beautiful village green in Smyrna, Georgia

9. May 5, 2012 MayFest Arts and Craft Festival…Carrollton, Georgia

10. May 5, 2012 Pine Tree Festival…Swainsboro, Georgia

11. May 5-6, 2012 Cotton Pickin' Fair….Gay, Georgia

12. May 12, 2012 Ocmulgee Wild Hog Festival….Abbeville, Georgia

13. May 12, 2012 Glennville Sweet Onion Festival….Glennville, Georgia

14. May 12-13, 2012 Colors Festival of Arts…Roswell, Georgia…..The beautiful flowers of spring will combine with beauty created from sparkling glass, an array of paintings, photography, captivating jewelry, whimsical sculptures and a wide array of original arts and crafts the entire family will find enjoyable.

2011 Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival, Douglasville, Georgia

15. May 19, 2012 Georgia Jug Fest….Celebrating Middle Georgia’s folk pottery tradition in Knoxville, Georgia

16. June 1-2, 2012 Georgia Blueberry Festival…..Alma, Georgia

17. June 2, 2012 Georgia Grill and Chill….Lincolnton, Georgia….The Georgia Grill and Chill is a Steak Cook-off and Wine Tasting event featuring Georgia winteries!  

18. June 2-3, 2012… Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival, Douglasville, Georgia

19. June 9, 2012 12 Rivers Arts Festival  Sautee Nacoochee Center

20. June 9-10, 2012 Blairsville Scottish Festival….Blairsville, Georgia

Goodbye Mr. Bisher.....

Furman Bisher interviewing Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1949

When I was in elementary school and on through high school graduation I was avid reader of the paper…..not just comics as you might think.   It began as a job…something added to my allowance list.  It was my assignment each day at 5:30 p.m. to walk across the railroad tracks in front of my house and visit the black vinyl Atlanta Journal-Constitution box that clung to a wooden pole by the highway.  Gradually, instead of just getting the paper for my father....I began to actually read it.  

 I always turned to Lewis Grizzard’s column…..then Celestine Sibley and of course, Furman Bisher.   I didn’t always know exactly what Mr. Bisher was discussing because sports was not my favorite topic, but I did like the way he put words together. 

Now like Grizzard, like Sibley……Bisher is gone dying yesterday of a heart attack at the age of 93.

I was amazed to discover he managed to get the only interview with Shoeless Joe Jackson regarding the  1919 Black Sox Scandal,  and he didn’t just write for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but was published in Sports Illustrated and even The Saturday Evening Post.

I only read one of Mr. Bisher’s books…..his biography of Henry Aaron, of course. 

During the same year I was born….1962…..Mr. Bisher’s reputation came under fire when his name was attached to an article regarding UGA’s Wally Butts and Alabama’s Bear Bryant and allegations they both had been involved with fixing games.  Bisher did conduct a few interviews for the article, but they were not included in the final piece….and he didn’t write it. 

Still ….there are some who think he wrote it.   

It’s not fun to hold you head high when folks around think one thing…..and a whole other scenario of events make up the real truth.  I’ve had some experience with that,  and it’s a character-shaping episode for sure.

Bisher often ended him columns with the Hebrew word “Selah”.   This is a word that often appears in the Book of Psalms and has been interpreted different ways, but many sources state it can be translated as “Stop, and think on that….”.

As someone who writes I can appreciate the direction.   Too often we read something as we eat, as have a few minutes waiting for our oil to be changed, or just to get a quick rundown on the news of the day.   

Do we really know what we have read?   Have we truly comprehended what the writer….what the reporter was trying to get across?  Do we under the implications of what they are trying to say?  

Bisher just wanted you to take a few minutes and ponder.

He estimated that across the span of his career he had written 15,000 daily sports columns, 1,200 magazine articles, and more than a dozen books.

Dedicated and disciplined……most certainly.

Selah….

Historical Firsts...It's Just a Concept, Right?

The concept of “being first” is important to so many of us.   

The concept seems to take hold in the history arena as well.   No matter the subject matter students of history always seem to be interested in the concept of being first. 

Who was the first to fire a shot during a battle?  

Who was the first soldier to sacrifice his life? 

What was the first legislation passed by Congress once they moved into the U.S. Capitol building?

Who stepped off the Mayflower first?

….and of course, there are always “first” questions as far as Exploration goes.   Those types of “firsts” aren’t always set in stone though.  As new evidence is discovered the coveted title of “being first” changes…..and sometimes those changes are a little slow as far as making their way into our classrooms and into our collective memories.

If I asked most of you about the first European settlement in the present-day United States some of you would search your memories and answer Roanoke or Jamestown.  

You would be wrong.

Some of you might tell me St. Augustine, Florida.   That would be a logical choice since I’m asking for the first European settlement which could include lots of folks – the Dutch, the French, and in the case of St. Augustine…..the Spanish.   

St. Augustine actually holds the title for the oldest continually inhabited city in North America…since 1565.   I wrote about some of the interesting events that have occurred there in my post  My St. Augustine.

Actually, if we wanted to identify the first European settlement…..we would need to look to the Georgia coast.

I know…I know….nothing ever really happens here, right?

Wrong. 

The settlement’s name was San Miguel de Gualdape.  A Spaniard named Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon is identified as its founder in 1526.   This means the settlement was founded six decades before Roanoke, eight decades before Jamestown and a century before the Mayflower.

Perhaps you never heard about it because like many settlements throughout our history it was abandoned, but it’s still an interesting bit of history, and its implications are great.

For one thing most historians agree that the settlement was  near Georgia’s Sapelo Island and de Ayllon not only took several dozen horses with him and 600 colonists but over 100 African slaves as well…….100 slaves that revolted against those that enslaved them in 1527.

Think about that for a minute……slaves in Georgia as early as 1526 and a shortly thereafter history records the first slave revolt.

It’s not surprising.   My research indicates the new settlement had issues from the very start regarding leadership, starvation and disease.  The slaves ended up disappearing into the surrounding countryside and melted into the Native American communities in the area.  

The Spaniards abandoned the colony leaving the runaway slaves.  

Get this clear in your head.    

The Spaniards left.   

The escaped slaves….the Africans, didn’t.  

 Hmmm….so, could it be argued the first long-term settlers happened to be African slaves rather than Europeans?

Many  people theorize the community of slaves developed into the Melungeons. William Loren Katz in his book titled Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage actually calls the area around the Peedee River the “first foreign colony in the United States.”

David Parker, a professor at Kennesaw State College provides more details regarding de Ayllon at his blog.  Parker advises: 

[The settlement of]San Miguel was the work of Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón, a Spanish-born nobleman who came to Hispaniola (present day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in 1504 as a judge. Columbus had “discovered” Hispaniola just a dozen years earlier, but the Spanish had developed it quickly, because of the island’s gold and its native population (which the Spanish found they could easily enslave). Judge Ayllón was able to win the favor of some of the wealthy Spanish officials on the island, and he soon began to build up his own landholdings and personal wealth. As the island’s gold began to peter out, Ayllón and others shifted to sugar plantations, still using the natives as slave labor.

The Spanish on Hispaniola found that they were using up the island’s natives at an alarming rate. Ayllón saw the potential profits of slave trading and entered that business, importing natives kidnapped from the Bahamas and other islands and selling them on Hispaniola.

Meanwhile, the Spanish in the Caribbean remained generally unaware of a much larger land mass just north of them. A few explorers had visited mainland North America (Columbus never did). Knowledge of the continent was very sparse, however, and in fact it was often referred to as just another “island.”

In 1521, Francisco Gordillo, one of Ayllón’s chief slave raiders, was unable to find a sufficient number of natives in the Bahamas, so he decided to try his luck elsewhere. He sailed northwest, making landfall near present day Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He briefly explored the area (called “Chicora”), then lured 60 natives onto his ship and set sail for Hispaniola.

In his report to Ayllón, Gordillo described Chicora as a beautiful place, full of natural resources, looking much like Spain itself, and full of natives. Ayllón was fascinated by the potential of Gordillo’s discovery. Who knew there were so many possibilities there? Earlier voyages, such as Ponce de Leon’s, had not begun to hint at such a thing. Ayllón quickly went to Spain and asked King Charles for the right to colonize Chicora. Charles granted Ayllón's wish.

In July 1526, Ayllón left Hispaniola with 600 people (including several African slaves), along with supplies and animals, on six ships. He reached the Carolina coast in early August, but failed to find any Indians there. The ships moved slowly south, hugging the coast, looking for a location that contained both a good site for a new colony and the Native Americans Ayllón was so interested in finding.

Finally they stopped in what is now Georgia. The exact location is still unknown. Historian Paul Hoffman put it near Sapelo Island; Douglas Peck puts it further north, near the mouth of the Savannah River. In any case, on September 29, Ayllón found his spot, named it San Miguel de Gualdape for the festival of Saint Michael (celebrated that day), and began building his colony.

The houses and the church at San Miguel went up quickly, as did the storage buildings for food and the livestock pens. But the new church’s graveyard began to fill up as Ayllón’s people started to die, from starvation and disease. Ayllón himself succumbed to an unknown disease on October 18. Surviving colonists tried to keep San Miguel going, but it was no good. Indians attacked, black slaves rose up and burned some of the buildings (the first slave revolt in what would become the United States), political disputes split the people, and a cold winter arrived much earlier than anticipated. A few weeks after Ayllón’s death, the colony disbanded. Of the 600 who had left Hispaniola to start the colony, only 150 returned.

And San Miguel de Gualdape, the first European settlement on mainland North America, was no more.

While the details surrounding the settlement are interesting the most facinating point in all this happens to be why the details aren’t commonly known.   William Loren Katz believes de Ayllon and the settlement attempt has been overlooked for two reasons…..most American histories tend to begin at the point where Anglo Saxons arrived (part of that whole “victors write the history” thing) and most historians tend to want to begin with a success instead of a failure. 

 It is much more palatable, right?

It would also be interesting to explore the Melungeon question in relation to de Ayllon’s slaves who most certainly were left behind and who more than likely merged their culture with Native Americans in the area.    

Even more interesting is the idea that the first non-Native American people who lived permanently in southeastern United States were Black and not White.

What do you think?

Do historical “firsts” really matter?

Old Dan Tucker

As a young girl I became hooked on Laura Ingalls Wilder back when her books were the thing…..not the television show and the subsequent re-runs….but the honest to goodness turn-the-page books.   When I read On the Banks of Plum Creek I had what I believe to be my introduction to the song Old Dan Tucker.

Here are the lyrics as they appeared in Ingall’s book, but there are other versions as well.

Old Dan Tucker was a fine old man
He washed his face in the frying pan
He combed his hair with a wagon wheel
And died of the toothache in his heel

Chorus:
Get out the way for old Dan Tucker
He's too late to git his supper
Supper's over and dishes washed
Nothing left but a piece of squash

Old Dan Tucker went to town
Riding a mule and leading a hound
Hound barked and mule jumped
Threw old Dan right over a stump…..

Most references state Old Dan Tucker became a minstrel hit in 1843 when a troupe of white men who performed in blackface began to sing it.  They sang in Black Vernacular English and called themselves the Virginia Minstrels.  Though the lyrics Laura Ingalls Wilder placed in her book seem a little tame they actually tell the story of how Dan Tucker visits a strange town where he is the epitome of a bad guest.  You name it he does it – he fights, he gets drunk, he overeats, etc.   As other minstrel groups added the song to their playlist they removed and added lyrics as they wished.Just as there are many versions to the lyrics there are just as many versions regarding how the song came to be.

Dan Emmett, the leader of the Virginia Minstrels, claimed to have written Old Dan Tucker when he was 14 years old and living in Mount Vernon, Ohio.   In interviews he stated he named the character after himself and his dog, Tucker.   Emmett is also credited with having written the song Dixie as well…..but that’s another story for another time.

The Georgia connection with Old Dan Tucker involves Elbert County.  Their Chamber of Commerce promotes a story that states the Dan Tucker in the song actually lived in Elbert County where he was a farmer, ferryman, and minister.  This particular Dan Tucker was originally born in Virginia in 1740 and ended up fighting in the American Revolution.  As a ferryman he operated a boat that moved back and forth on the Savannah River between Georgia and South Carolina and owned a plantation referred to as "Point Lookout."  As a Methodist minister he worked with slaves.  The slaves actually wrote the song to honor him.  When Tucker died in 1818 he was laid to rest in a grave along Heardmont Road in Elbert County, Georgia where a state historical marker is located today.

Unfortunately, we may never truly know the source for the lively tune. 

New Additions to the Georgia Blog Roll

It's been a long, long time since I added new blogs to the blog list here at Georgia on My Mind, so what better way to get back into regular posting than by writing about one of my original purposes when I set this blog up....to serve as a hub for blogs owned and written by Georgians.

For some time I had wanted to get the 300 or so Georgia blogs I link to here into organized categories, but health concerns and other issues got in the way...plus at the time Blogger didn't make the process easy.  I had to monkey with the HTML that creates what you see here to "get r done", and it was tedious.  Now it's a little easier with Blogger's listing capability, so I'm ready to try again!

Even so the process  may take me awhile, but there's no time like the present to get started, right?   Check back from time to watch the lengthy blog list on the right sidebar slowly evolve into categorized lists.

So...here are the new additions to the Georgia blogroll here at Georgia on My Mind:

1. ATL Vino Wine Blog....the tagline at this blog states, "Drinkin' wine in the Peach State."  That should say it all, but  Katie further advises on her "About" page:  The ATL Vino Wine Blog is intended to take a look at wine from the perspective of the average Atlanta wine consumer - no wine snobs allowed!  I thought it would be more fun, and maybe less intimidating to explore how us "normal" folk can use wine to bring enjoyment to our daily lives.  I invite you to join me as I write about various wine topics ranging from experiments, ideas, how-tos, cool wine products, wine events (most related to the metro Atlanta area), or any other topic that I deem interesting or humorous.

2. Proper Southern Woman...At first glance I love the look - the atmosphere of this blog from the deep red background to the great pictures placed at the top.   This blog author had me hooked once I gazed upon the hydrangea and the Mason jar full of what else.....sweet tea!   This blog is a journey of a Southern woman who realizes in order to become "a proper Southern woman" she needs to learn all of those things her "Momma" begged her to learn years ago.   We are invited to follow her journey.....

3. The Georgian Revival....the tagline states this blog is "dedicated to the research and preservation of Georgia architects and architectural history."  Revival Construction, Inc. owns and updates this blog.  As a history educator and enthusiast this site makes my toes curl!

4. The Roycroft Report...the tagline explains this blog is for rants and random issues - PC free!  Roycroft writes...I created this blog as my way of venting.  Now it's become more than a hobby with followers growing everyday which gives me reason to keep writing.   I don't expect everyone to always agree with my views, but if everyone agreed then what's the point of me continuing?  It's all about provoking your thoughts.

5. Georgia Mysteries....a blog intended to provide a venue for the free discussion and discourse concerning strange and weird phenomena in Georgia...that could include haunting, cryptos, disappearances, UFOs, strange objects, etc. written by a college history professor.  The most recent posting asks the question..."Were Georgia's Creek Indians Originally  from New Mexico?"

6. Vanishing Threshold:  Garden Life Home....This is one of Tara Dillard's blogs.  Anyone who seriously gardens knows who she is, and if you don't she will inspire you to want to garden!

7. Sovereignty Farm....located in Woodstock, Georgia their Facebook page states we currently sell eggs - our chickens are pasture raised, organic fed and antibiotic free!  Chicken, veggies and much more to come as we get up and running.

Enjoy these blogs and check out the others listed in the blog roll!

Love That Tree!!!

Years ago I was saddened when Rich's closed, but was so happy that Macy's decided to keep the tradition alive concerning their Christmas tree.

It's such an Atlanta tradition!

Still, I miss it atop the Crystal Bridge over Forsyth Street.  Lenox is a great location, but......

The tree standing atop the crystal bridge was on the cover of Time magazine in 1961 seen above.

This year the Great Tree is from my side of the town...Douglasville, Georgia, and is just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house. 

The tree is 26 years old.  This means that it was just a little sapling when I first moved to my home, and now.....it's become large enough to be chosen.   

I think it will do just fine!

The family who owns the tree has elected not to be identified, so I'll keep that under my hat.

The tree will be cut tomorrow, Thursday...November 10th.   It will then be transported and placed on the roof of the Macy's at Lenox Square on Sunday at 10 a.m.

The Great Tree Lighting Show will begin at 7 p.m. followed by a fireworks display.