The Chamber Newsletter July 2008

Dahlonega-Lumpkin CountyChamber of Commerce13 South Park StreetDahlonega, GA 30533(706) 864-3711(800) 231-5543

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Dahlonega - Lumpkin County Chamber of CommerceThe Chamber

2008 | JULY

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Page 4 Higher Education: Your Personal Economic Development - Bruce Abraham, Executive Director of the Lumpkin County Develop-ment Authority, observes that the best economic develop-ment for Lumpkin County is to make sure that everyone gets as much education as they can.

Page 5 Ambassador Spotlight: Dobbin Buck

Page 9 Hospitality Highway: From Dahlonega in the north to Buck-head in the south, Georgia 400, one of the state’s best known and well-traveled highways, offers a virtual showcase of towns brimming with restau-rants, shops and boutiques, lodging from bed-and-breakfast inns to sparkling hotel resorts, historical sites, scads of events and festivals, and perhaps best of all, incredible scenery found nowhere else in the South.

Page 10Perspective on Healthcare: In these days of increasing health care costs, everyone is looking for money-saving ways to ease the pain.

Page 12Spotlight on Business: Trina Pellegrino of Mountain Top Massage

Page 14 - 15Ribbon Cuttings

July 1

Business After HoursCome join us at Rick's new loca-tion on North Grove Street. Enjoy networking, food, and drinks. Don't forget to bring $1 for the cash prize drawing! And remember door prizes are always a great way to showcase your business!

July 4

Dahlonega 4th of July Cel-ebrationCome celebrate our nation's independence on the Square with a patriotic ceremony, a pet show , wa-termelon cutting, stump speeches, and live entertainment all day! Fireworks will light up the sky at dark from the NGCSU campus.

August 1First Friday Concert Series

Come enjoy one of Dahlonega's own - Fool's Gold of Dahlonega - as they blend new sounds with tradi-tional American music, combining rock, blues, country and bluegrass into the Fool's Gold sound. Show starts at 6:30pm on the Conner House Lawn.

Largest Ride in Georgia!

SIX GAPRead More | Page 7

Every year, on the last Sunday in September, Dahlonega becomes host to one of the most well-known bicycle rides in the Southeast – the Six Gap Century & Three Gap Fifty Bike Ride presented by Dahlonega Wheelworks.

This year, the parade of bikes will come through on September 28 in celebration of the ride’s 20th Anniversary. The ride, which has always been a major fund-raiser for the Chamber, debuted in 1988 with less than 200 cyclists participating. Last year’s ride brought in over 2,200 cyclists and it is anticipated that this year’s ride will attract 2,500 cyclists.

Six Gap 20th Anniversary

Mission Statement

Board of Directors OFFICERSJennifer Herring, ChairmanBB&TEddie Wayne, Chair ElectAppalachian Community BankDon Bacek, TreasurerLily Creek Lodge Appalachian Community BankCyndi Fraser, SecretaryBelle Avance SalonGary L. Powers, President & CEODahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce

DIRECTORS Larry Banister, Banister Funeral HomeMax Burns, North Georgia College & StateUniversityKristy FairbanksTommy Folger, Folger’sAlan George, Chestatee Regional HospitalAlan Grizzle, EXIT Four Seasons RealtyKelso C. (Casey) Horne, Horne and Horne, P.C.Donna Minnich, State Farm InsuranceJ. Kevin McCraney, Georgia Power CompanyTony Owens, The Fudge FactoryEd Willis, The Louver ShopAngelia Wilson, Dahlonega Tasting RoomKenneth H. Kurtz, CPA

EX OFFICIO DIRECTORS

Mayor Gary McCullough, City of DahlonegaCommissioner Steve Gooch, Lumpkin CountyBruce Abraham, Development AuthorityJoel Cordle, Downtown Development AuthorityStan Kelley, Lumpkin CountyBill Lewis, City of DahlonegaSheriff Mark McClure, Lumpkin CountyDewey Moye, Lumpkin County SchoolsJoshua Wright, U.S. Army Camp Frank D. Merrill

STAFF

Amy Booker, Membership & Marketing DirectorMary Ann Knight, Visitors Center ManagerStefani Logsdon, VP Operations

Hal Williams, CVB Director

Amy Laseter, Administrative AssistantKim Bruce, Graphic Designer / Newsletter

The Chamber | Page 2

As I See It

Gary Powers, President and CEO

Making our community a great place to live, work, visit,

and do business.

Surf the Web!

As I See It, our Economic Development Committee serves as an important func-tion for the Chamber in investigating and looking at what the future development of Lumpkin County and the City of Dahlonega will be. The June meeting turned out to be exploring the development of the Hwy 60/Hwy 400 and the project now known as Long Branch. The development by The At-lanta Company was presented by developer Charles Perry who is in a partnership with Wayne Mason. Currently we have Home Depot and some retail shops across the intersection, as well as a small retail center behind the Shell Station.

Mr. Perry’s presentation was very informa-tive as they continue to clear the property of this 400,000 square foot project. They have been working closely with the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeepers to make this an environmentally friendly project with an erosion control system on the slopes. They are moving 90,000 yards of dirt, an equiva-lent to 10,000 dump truck loads, to other re-quested locations in the County. Mr. Perry is very optimistic about this project as it is one of the few projects that doesn’t have a water problem thanks to the forward thinking of the City and County in the development of the reservoir. They expect the grading to be complete around Labor Day.

Due to the economy they don’t have firm commitments from any big box companies. However, a large retailer and grocery chain have expressed interest.

Georgia Power will also have a Substation with at 230 KV line that will go to a 500 KV line. All this combined with the Sewer Plan that the County built will feed this develop-ment. Bruce Abraham, Executive Director of the Lumpkin County Development Author-ity, says the County has made a significant investment in the infrastructure to accom-modate future development.

The Development Authority is part of a coalition of five Northeast Georgia coun-ties that is working to bring fiber optics to Lumpkin County. They are completing an

application for a One Georgia Grant that will help to evaluate the current capacity and determine the technology growth in Northeast Georgia. Bringing fiber optics to this area will help us attract technology cen-ters and clean industry.

The Long Branch development will provide $4 to 5 million in sales tax to the County and approximately $400,000 in property tax. This is vital to the future of Lumpkin County.

As we have seen the closure of Mohawk it points out the serious situation we have in not being able to provide healthy jobs for our displaced workers and for their children in the next twenty years.

Under the leadership of Joel Cordle with the Downtown Developmental Authority we now have a Downtown Dahlonega 10 Year Master Plan that will provide sustainability for the Square and Downtown Dahlonega.

As I See It, we need growth in moderation with the City and County to continue to work closely together. For us to succeed co-operation is vital.

There is a cleaner front page with Icons to take you to current events, member directory, and the weekly Taking Care of Business. Newly created this past week by our Webmaster 3by400 is the Manual created on "Starting a Business".

Take a look at some of the new changes and features on the Chamber & Convention &

Visitors Bureau web site.

www.dahlonega.org

With 14 Million hits a year we are one of the top web sites in Georgia!

From the Desk of Jennifer Herring


BronzeDaniel’s Charters

Georgia Power Company

Habersham EMC

North Georgia College & State University

Regions Bank

PlatinumBB&T Bank

Chestatee Regional Hospital

Jackson EMC

GoldAppalachian Community Bank

SilverAchasta, A Residential Golf Community

All About Storage

Mountain State Bank

Nicklaus Golf Club at Achasta

Northeast Georgia Health System, Inc.

The Smith House

Timken US Corporation

United Community Bank of Lumpkin County

Wal-Mart SuperCenter

Windstream Communications

SMALL BUSINESSES TAKE CHARGE!!

Chairman’s CircleThe Chairman's Circle has been created to prominently recognize companies whose continual support has been instrumental in the growth of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce.

Mint Club Members

Major DonorCity of Dahlonega

Lumpkin County

Cottrell Circle C Ranch

Health Insurance has been one of the top issues plaguing small business owners and their employees for years. This year, there were a couple of bills trying to get on the legislative agenda. One was endorsed by the NFIB (National Federation of Inde-pendent Businesses). The Small Business Health Options Program or SHOP is geared towards helping small business owners join together to purchase type of health insur-ance that alone they could not afford. SHOP also would offer some sort of tax credit for sole proprietors and small companies that provide health insurance to its employees. Chances are, nothing is going to be put into place this year or even next year. So, what are the small business owners and employ-ees to do?

#1 – Regardless of the type of insurance you have, HOLD COSTS DOWN

Co Pays and Co Insurance continues to rise and with the slowing economy, it could get worse. Take Advantage of a Flexible spend-ing account. How does it work? Each year you estimate what you will spend on health care for the year and that money will go into your FSA- tax free. The employer will deter-mine contribution levels, but on average are somewhere between $2,000 to $5,000. You can use the money for co pays, co insurance costs, eyeglasses, dental visits and possibly even some over the counter medicines. The catch: you must use the funds by end of the year or time determined by the employer or you lose it. The trick is to be conservative with your estimates. What does this mean for you? Well, for example, let’s say you were in a 28% tax bracket; putting $2,000 into a FSA would give you around a $500+/- tax break. It also will make you examine your overall medical care expenses more closely.

HSA (Health Saving Account) is another option. HSA contributions are not taxed when they are deposited and tax free when funds are spent on health care. Talk to your accountant and relationship banker to find out which one would be more beneficial to you.

#2 - Lowering your premium

You can lower your premium. To do this however, you will take on more risk in the form of a higher deductible. There are a couple of possible tax benefits to this plan of action. Before you leap into a higher de-ductible plan because of the lower premi-um, consider a few things:

A) Your health – do you take a lot of medications and go to the doctor often?

B) Your financial health – can you afford to pay the deductible as well as the co-pays and co insurance?

#3 - Change your lifestyle

Many companies now offer incentives for employees who change their lifestyle. In-centives include everything from extra va-cation days or personal days, increases in the amount of the insurance premiums the company will pay as you improve your level of health or even cash in form of contests. Get a health risk assessment work with a health coach or nurse. GET HEALTHY.

#4 – Prescriptions

Prescription drugs now make up about 10% of health costs. More and more you see health plans dictating you to take cheaper pills but also where you purchase them. We all get a lot of junk mail everyday. But if you get something in the mail about changes in your health plan, READ IT! Pay close atten-tion to what your plan says about prescrip-tions. You may be able to change how or when and where you buy and save money.

Things are constantly changing and what is the rule today may not be tomorrow. There are things we can all do to help save us money and provide a better quality of life. Now more than ever, it is important to take a little extra time and evaluate how we do things. Put some new ideas and plans into place for yourself and your employees. Talk to your local banker about what they can do for you and talk to your accountant about tax benefits and…… TAKE CHARGE of YOUR HEALTH CARE!

Jennifer Herring Chairman of the Board


Higher Education, Your Personal Economic Development

7th Annual Homecoming, “Christian Music Nights” Coming to Dahlonega

Bruce Abraham, Executive Director of the Lumpkin County Development Authority, observes that the best economic develop-ment for Lumpkin County is to make sure that everyone gets as much education as they can.

“Stay in school – I’ve heard that before”, Bruce hears you saying. But please also lis-ten to what the statistics on education are saying.

Average annual earnings of Georgia adults by their level of education, age 25 to 64 and based on 2005 Census Bureau data, il-lustrates that at the bottom end of the em-ployment ladders, if you have less than a high school degree, you probably earn on average a little more than $33,000 a year. And almost 10 percent of your group is un-employed.

At the top end of the ladder, if you have a college master’s degree, your group earns on average three times as much as those who didn’t finish high school, or more than $99,000. And less than 2 out of 100 of you are unemployed.

Drop back a step, and a bachelor’s degree gives you the probability of earning $75,000 a year, while only 2 percent of your group is unemployed. Those four years in college almost double your average yearly earn-ings over a person with only a high school diploma.

Of course, there are many exceptions to the average, such as millionaire high school

dropouts as well as college grads that never held a job. But looking at averages, the Cen-sus Bureau goes on to say that a bachelor’s degree earns you $2.1 million over a work-ing lifetime. A high school diploma earns you $1.2 million, cutting your earning abil-ity almost in half.

And the earnings gap has widened over time. Education Testing Service recently reported that in 1979, lifetime earnings of men with bachelor’s degrees were 51 per-cent higher than men with only high school degrees. By 2004, the bachelor’s degree earned 96 percent more.

Dahlonega is unique in North Georgia, and very lucky to have a state university right in the middle of its economic and community life. The college is a literal economic engine for North Georgia. The Associate, Bachelor and Master degrees it awards generate a higher degree of economic and social ben-efit over an entire lifetime, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort.

Bruce Abraham asks you to please indulge him in a quick story: About 30 years ago, during a visit back to his high school, he an-nounced to his former principal that he was leaving college to take on a full time job. Like a lot of stressed out kids, he was weary of three years of college lectures, endless exams and being broke while his gainfully employed friends had new cars, fancy apart-ments and spending money.

His old Principal urged some advice at him:

“Just remember they can come and get your car, they can throw you out of your fancy apartment and they can take away your job. But they can never, never take away your education. And if you have an education, you can get all those things back.”

Bruce listened to his advice. And he can tell you from the ups and downs in his own life that his Principal was right.

The statistics confirm that over a lifetime you can earn those things back and more if you invest in yourself through higher education. The best economic development, on a per-sonal level as well as on a community level, is to develop yourself and be ready for the future, wherever it takes you.

Make plans to join Grammy nominated artist Karen Peck and New River for their 7th Annual Homecoming, “Christian Music Nights”, taking place on July 25th & 26th at New River Park in Dahlonega, Georgia. Kar-en Peck and New River will be performing both nights. Their special guests on Friday night will be the talented Grammy nomi-nated artists Jeff and Sheri Easter. (Jeff and Sheri Easter are featured regularly on the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Series.) The Diplomats and the New River Band will be the featured artists on Saturday night. A Mass Choir led by the talented the Jim Cox, from Cumming, GA, will be featured both nights.

Karen Peck and New River, based out of Dahlonega, GA, has been performing since 1991. Manager, Rickey Gooch (a native of Dahlonega), his wife Karen, her sister Susan Peck Jackson, along with Devin McGlamery make up the group Karen Peck and New River. In 2008 KPNR was presented a House Resolution at the Georgia State Capitol for their accomplishments in Gospel Music. This year they were nominated for their first

Grammy Award and three Dove Awards. The Southern Gospel Fan Fair awarded Su-san Peck Jackson with the Favorite Alto of the year for 2008. KPNR won Favorite Trio of the Year and their # 1hit song, “Last Night”, was awarded Song of the Year.

It has always been a dream for KPNR to host an Annual Gospel Music Concert Series on their property. They built a stage that looks like an old church to give the audi-ence a warm, worshipful experience. The event takes place every year on the fourth full weekend in July. They tell everyone to bring their lawn chairs and come planning to enjoy great Gospel Music, great home cooked food and great fellowship! New River Park has a place for campers to park, with no hooks. There are no coolers al-lowed inside the park since concessions are available. Also, there are no video cameras allowed. There will be suggested $12.00 donation at the gate. Children 17 and un-der are free. New Park is located 6 miles north (Hwy 60N) off of Yahoola Road onto Gooch Road. (There will be signs the week of the event.)

Devin McGlamery will be hosting a youth night, “Encore”, directly following the con-cert on Friday night. The service consist of Praise and Worship Music, a quick devotion-al, fun and games.

For more information log on to www.karen-peckandneewriver.com or call their office (706) 864-2082 or e-mail at [email protected]

(Above) Bruce Abraham with U.S. Sena-tor Johnny Isakson


June FAM Tour: Travel Writers Visit DahlonegaOn June 19th and 20th the Chamber and Dahlonega Businesses in coordination with the the Georgia Turner Group hosted out-door travel writers Missy and Al Martino and Warren Ressen. On Thursday the writers had a whirlwind tour of our outdoor recreational businesses including Appalachian Outfit-ters, Medicine Bow, and Hiker Hostel where they met a panel of local canoeing, hiking,

bicycling and fishing experts. After lunch at Wolf Mountain it was off to visit Caven-der Creek Cabins and Three Sisters vineyard then into town for shopping and history at the Gold Museum and local shops on the square. In the evening they were hosted at a reception of local merchants spon-sored by Woodlands edge before dinner at Rhapsody Grill and a well deserved rest at

Long Mountain Lodge. On Friday morning it they went to strike it rich at Crisson and Consolidated mine before taking in more outdoor oriented lo-cal lodging at Lily Creek Lodge. Leaving in time to catch flights home from Atlanta they were seen smil-ing at rememberances of Dahlonega’s Golden hospitality.

Ambassador Spotlight: Dobbin BuckDobbin Buck has lived all over our nation and even outside the country for extend-ed periods and has chosen Dahlonega as home for his family. Dobbin is married to Elizabeth Buck and has a lovely 2.5 year old daughter, Savannah Jane Buck.

Prior to Living in Dahlonega, Dobbin served his country in the U.S Army with the 2nd In-fantry Division in South Korea and the 1st Calvary Division in Ft. Hood Texas. Dobbin spent the majority of years before moving to Dahlonega designing and building muse-ums and attractions around the globe. His family business developed museums and attractions for 36 years and created some of our countries most prestigious museums including The Statue of Liberty Museum in 1976, The Smithsonian Institute’s “Nation of Nations” and “Milestones of Flight” Exhibi-tions. Dobbin’s most memorable projects with the company include The U.S. Astro-naut Hall of Fame in Cape Kennedy FL., Premises: French Art and Architecture at The Guggenhiem Museum in Soho, NYC, Epcot Center Innoventions at Disney World, portions of AT&T’s Space Ship Earth at Ep-cot Center, Disney Quest, Orlando Science Center in Orlando Florida, National Science Center in Augusta, Georgia, The Audubon Society’s Corkscrew Swamp Visitors Center in Naples, Florida, and Design Elements for Kenneth Cole’s Flagship store in Rockerfell-er Center NYC. Dobbin completed over 36 major projects and countless smaller instal-lations in his 16 year term in the Museum World.

Just prior to moving to Dahlonega, Dobbin was working for Audi out of Atlanta, Geor-gia. He and his family would come up to

Dahlonega on weekends to visit his in-laws, Jim and Lynn White, who live near Turners Corner. Dobbin would often come up and play bluegrass music with our locals and decided that this is where he wanted to live. One day, Dobbin and Elizabeth decid-ed to quit their jobs in Atlanta and simply move to Dahlonega. The concept was that ultimately employment in North Georgia would unfold, if they would just make the leap of faith to move to Dahlonega.

Since moving to Dahlonega, Dobbin has been involved in numerous charities and community programs. Dobbin is a member of the Executive Committee for Dahlonega’s cherished Bear on the Square Festival. Dob-bin was responsible in this years success-ful festival for all of the sponsorship, which included the involvement of Jim Ellis Audi, The Fudge Factory, The Crimson Moon Cafe’, Norman Adams Insurance, LVS homes, and Larrivee Guitars. He was also in charge of festival marketing, ticket sales, t-shirt sales, and even MC’d at the Main Stage tent this year. This years festival brought an estimat-ed 47,000 visitors to the Dahlonega Square and it is reported that several merchants broke all time sales records over the festival weekend this year!

Another prized charity Dobbin is involved with is the Georgia Pick & Bow Program. Dobbin is on the Steering Committee and donates his time helping to instruct tradi-tional guitar technique to students once a week. GP&B currently has over 35 students enrolled and has proven to be a most re-warding experience to the youths involved.

Dobbin can also be found in front of the

Gold Museum playing bluegrass at the Downtown Development Authority’s Ap-palachian Jam from 2pm to 6pm every Sat-urday.

Buck is also involved as an Ambassador to the Chamber of Commerce and can often be seen at local ribbon cuttings and Business After Hours gatherings that the Chamber puts on. Dobbin represents The 400 Edition Magazine as a Chamber Ambassador, but also works with two other Chamber Mem-bers as he is also a salesman for 3by400 Web Design and is the Marketing Manager for Dana LaChance at The Crimson Moon Cafe’ on the Dahlonega Square.

Dobbin says of Dahlonega, “Dahlonega has everything I could possibly wish for in life. Its people are kind and generous, Its natural beauty is second to none, There are plenty of musicians to pick guitar with, and my daughter is surrounded by positive role models in an environment that I consider wholesome and engaging.”

(Photo, right) Visiting Travel Writers take a rocking break on the Smith House Porch. Seated left to right are Al and Missy Martino, and Marla Milling. (Stand-ing) Hal Williams, Warren Ressen

Spotlight on the Board: Jennifer HerringJennifer Herring is the Business Services Officer with BB&T Bank and has been em-ployed in Lumpkin County for 6 years.

Jennifer switched careers 12 years ago, previously in the home health industry. Jennifer’s husband is a state trooper and their schedules are not steady. He was also working in Conyers at the time and Jenni-fer’s schedule was also hectic. Jennifer had a family member who was friends with a branch manager at First National Bank of Gainesville. She needed a teller for her new branch that had just opened. Jennifer inter-viewed for the position and really liked the idea of a set schedule and holidays off. She was hired.

Over the years, Jennifer has worked in vari-ous aspects of the banking industry, work-ing her way up. She took courses offered through the Georgia Bankers Association and American Institute of Banking. Jenni-fer worked as a business loan assistant for 4 years. She worked for two very success-ful women learning all that she could from them.

Why did Jennifer enter the business side of banking? She saw the business side as a strong relationship based career. She saw this side of banking as an opportunity to make a difference in the community she was in.

Jennifer says “there is so much to love about working in Dahlonega / Lumpkin County”. She says, “Certainly one is being just off the beautiful square. I love to walk the square on Fridays and visit with the shop owners. I think you get a good pulse of the local economy that way.” But Jennifer adds that “I love that we have leaders in the commu-nity that are looking for long term ways to continue to make Dahlonega and Lumpkin County successful”.

Jennifer believes that success can be mea-sured in a lot of ways. She really does not look at herself as successful in the way some would. She does try to do the right thing by the clients. Jennifer says, “sometimes the right answer is not the one they want to hear, but I know that I have to look them in the eye everyday. I tell folks that I am not go-ing to do something for them and then go

home and lose sleep worrying ove whether or not it was the right thing. If I do that, it probably was not in their best interest. If I explain why I do not think something is a good idea and they still hug my neck the next time they see me, then I feel I am suc-cessful”.

Jennifer has been in banking for 12 years. She attended Gainesville College and Gordon College as well as taken courses through Georgia Bankers Association and American Institute of Banking. Jennifer has also taken classes through BB&T University. Yes, BB&T has it’s own university!

I decided to accept a position as director on the Chamber of Commerce board because she had been in the community a couple of years volunteering as an ambassador and Rob Followell approached her about be-coming a board member as they had a spot opening up. She agreed and was voted in.

Jennifer’s term, unless the By Laws are re-written, is coming to an end. I just hope that in the end, I have left some sort of positive influence on the Chamber and the com-munity. “I would like to hope I was part of helping to put the right people into place to take us to the next level at the chamber and increasing the focus on taking care of busi-ness and businesses” Jennifer says.

Jennifer has been very active in the com-munity involved in many chamber activities including, but not limited to, Six Gap Bike Ride, Annual Chamber Banquet, Old Fash-ioned Christmas and anything else that the chamber needs an extra set of hands for.

In regards to some of the biggest challenges facing businesses today, Jennifer states that certainly in this economic environment, cash flow and working capital are huge chal-lenges. It is even greater for the small busi-ness owner. Jennifer stresses to “utilize local sources including your personal banker, the chamber of commerce and the Small Busi-ness Development Center in Gainesville. Revisit your original business plan, what would work a year or so ago, may need to be modified. Go over your cash flow with your banker. Be cautious with all those 0% credit card offers you get in the mail. While it may be a quick fix for your working capi-

tal needs, it may hurt you in the long term. We must continue to spend money; we just do it wisely now. Shop locally and hire local when you can. That is the best way to keep our local economy going.”

Jennifer would like to see more clean in-dustry come to town. She would like to see the higher paid positions with the industry filled by our graduates of Lumpkin County and North Georgia College. I think we are on the verge of the realization of fiber op-tics throughout Lumpkin County, which will ensure we can compete for the clean indus-try higher paid positions. Jennifer would like to see all the women owned businesses and women in leadership positions really come together and arm the community with a positive power for the future like we have never seen. She believes the W.I.L.L. (Women in Lumpkin Leadership) group is on its way.

Jennifer reminds everyone that the Cham-ber of Commerce has been a huge help to her. “It has helped me develop relationships with not only the business owners, but the City and County officials as well as State of-ficials. Together, we have been able to do some pretty awesome things in Dahlonega / Lumpkin County for the future” concludes Jennifer.

Jennifer is married to David, a Sergeant with the Georgia State Patrol. They have one son, Austin, who is 13 years of age. Austin is heavily involved in football and baseball, which means her and her husband are too. Austin is also involved in Chamber activi-ties… ”It comes with the job”, I tell him. They are members of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Murrayville. Jennifer considers herself very blessed. The Chamber does too to have her!

Jennifer L. Herring, Business Services Offi cer

Dahlonega, GA

706-864-3314

[email protected]

©2008 BB&T. BBT.com

B A N K I N G I N S U R A N C E I N V E S T M E N T S

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www.LVSHomes.com

Ask about solar for existing homes!

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20th Anniversary Six Gap Bike Ride

Come experience "Team Dahlonega" Customer service.

Located in theGreenbriar Shopping Center

706-867-9000

of Dahlonega

406 East Main Street, Suite EDahlonega, GA 30533

Has a new owner and a brand new committment to serve you!

Continued from Cover...

In celebration of this year’s anniversary, Six Gap is getting a “makeover”. Our first step was to give the ride its own home on the in-ternet at www.CycleNorthGeorgia.com. This new web site not only keeps riders up to date on the Six Gap bike ride, but also aims to become an information source on local routes, as well as introduce cyclists to other great rides in our area, including the Brass-town Bald Buster Century and the Fool’s Gold Mountain Bike Races & Festival.

We have also given the Six Gap Century an updated route – the first major change in twenty years – in an effort to expose cyclists to more of our scenic mountainside and to make the ride safer, both for cyclists and motorists. The new route will cast a special spotlight onto Yahoola Valley and R-Ranch in the Mountains, but will still include the most challenging climbs of the ride, includ-ing Hogpen Gap.

To commemorate this special year, we have also commissioned a special, limited-edition 20th Anniversary cycling jersey from cycling apparel company Hincapie. This jersey will be sold along with two other Hincapie origi-nal designs on a first-come, first serve basis. More information, along with the official re-lease of the jersey designs, should be online by the end of next month.

We would also like to take this opportunity to extend a thank you to our sponsors so far. These companies make this ride pos-sible and we would encourage you to check them out:

Dahlonega Wheelworks, www.wheel-worksga.com, is the Presenting Sponsor of

the 2008 Six Gap Century & Three Gap Fifty Bike Ride

Hiker Hostel, www.hikerhostel.com, is the Gold Sponsor, and Dawsonville Pearl iZUMi Factory Outlet Store, www.pearlizumi.com, is the Silver Sponsor

There are still many sponsorship opportu-nities available and we encourage you to contact us for more information regarding becoming a sponsoring partner.

This is an exciting event for the Chamber of Commerce, Lumpkin County, and many other North Georgia mountain communi-ties as riders make their annual trek from over thirty different states and as far away as the Netherlands and Germany to come enjoy what many of us take for granted at times. If you are interested in supporting the ride through becoming a sponsor, expe-riencing the ride as one of our hundreds of volunteers, or serving on our Six Gap Plan-ning Committee, please contact Stefani Logsdon at [email protected].

Watch as Professional, Intermediate and Beginner Cake Artists decorate 3 foot tall cakes, in two hours, to the theme of "SHOW-TIME!"

Children's and Teen's divisions promise to be an afternoon of fun and entertainment.

B. Keith Ryder, the President of The Inter-national Cake Exploration is the honorary Judge again this year. We are very privi-leged to have him return to Georgia from his home state of Virginia.

Vendors will be selling their food/items in the Gym. The 2007 challenge was a big suc-cess and benefited the Family Connection. Carol Williams, owner of Razzle Dazzle

and coordinator of the challenge, along with Mary Allen, have worked hard to pres-ent these shows to Dahlonega in an effort

to say thank you for supporting Razzle Dazzle and making it one of the most popu-lar speciality cake shops in North Georgia. Carol has been an honorary member of The International Cake Exploration Society for 30 years and her goal is to promote the art of cake decorating.

Proceeds to benefit The Rainbow Children's Home and The Historic Holly Theater.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at The Historic

Holly Theater or call 706-867-0749.

Vendors 6' tables $100.00. You will be al-lowed to sell your goods at the challenge.

Decorators contact Carol at 706-867-0749 for entry forms. Cost to enter is $50.00 for all levels.

2008 North Georgia Cake Challenge IS BACK!

SIX GAP

May 2008 Renewals All About Storage

Animals@Home, Inc.The Back Porch Oyster BarBusiness Mailing ServicesClagett, J. M., DMDColdwell Banker Residential BrokerageCoppermines Pest ControlDahlonega United Methodist ChurchER Services, IncFrogtown CellarsGateway AntiquesGeorgia Mountain HideawaysGodfrey’s GetawayGold City Corral & Carriage CompanyGold City Insurance Agency, LLCThe Gold ShopGrizzle PhotographyHappy Acres FarmHiker HostelHomePoint Mortgage GroupJazzercise / Betsy GagneJust Off The Square Country CafeK. C. Fuller & Associates, LLCKiwanis Club of Lumpkin CountyLakeview Center of Dawson County, LLCLava Hair StudioLVS Homes, Inc.Mountain Top MassageMountain Wireless, Inc.Mystic Gifts and Treasures, Inc.Razzle Dazzle Cakes & SweetsThe Rotary Club of DahlonegaSquare Peg Construction, Inc.Tranquility Nail SpaTravel Planning, Inc.Wal-Mart Super CenterWendy’s Old Fashioned HamburgerWolf Mountain VineyardsZaxby’s

Walls To Walls Art Gallery & Custom Frame Shop

Welcome Back Previous Members


I challenge you to get involved with the Chamber Ambassador Program. Learn what your community has to offer. You might learn something that will help your busi-ness become more visible or you might find a new source for something needed to get your business growing.

Small-business owners don’t get involved in the community with the expectation of getting something back. However, the re-turn on their efforts can be documented in tangible ways – new customers – publicity – expansion of the network of people who can help you build your business.

The following people have made the decision to highlight their businesses by serving on the Chamber Ambassador Program:

Attention: Small Business Owners

Dobbin Buck - 400 Edition

Kelly Finocchio – BB& T Bank

Marilou Kinney – Travel Planning, Inc.

Bill Lawson – Bleu Art Gallery

Donna Logan – Adams Insurance

Trina Pellegrino - Mountain Top Massage

Lynn Pfeiffer - Oasis of Life

Sharon Ravert – Animals@Home, Inc.

Joanna Stern - Papa John’s Pizza

Penny Sharp – Sage Credit/Checking Services

Bonnie Small – The Lily Garden

Ivy Spraker – Ivy’s Gifts From the Vine

Dr. Keith Tyre – Watts Chiropractic Services

Dana Whitfield – Oasis of Life

Michael Woody – United Community Bank

Jana Collett - Studio Twenty One Makeovers

CALL THE CHAMBER AT (706) 864-3711

For more information on the Ambassador Program

Or contact:

Donna Logan 2008 Ambassador Chair

(706) 864-3721

Take a positive step for your business.

Come join us!

Welcome New Members

Do You Want to Raise the Visibility of Your Business?

Appalachian Chamber Orchestra of the North

Georgia Chamber Symphony, Inc.

Blue Moon Gifts

Brad Walker Pottery

Chestatee Consulting, Inc.

Dahlonega Square Villa

Evangelin Graphics

E2E Benefits Services, Inc.

Forestar Real Estate Group

Georgia Mountains Unitarian -Universalist Church

Jeffrey Franks Photography

Karen Peck & New River Park

Kenneth H. Kurtz

Poly Portables, Inc.

The Riverhouse

Shaw’s Septic & Plumbing Services

Tax Help Doctor, LLC

Wholesome Earth

MAY 2008


July 1

Business After Hours at Rick’s, 5:30-

7:30 pm

July 4

Dahlonega 4th of July Celebration

July 16

Women in Lumpkin Leadership

Breakfast at Stewart Center for

Continuing Education, 8:00 am

July 24

Board Meeting, 12:00 pm

July 30

Ambassadors Meeting, 12:00 pm

August 5

Business After Hours at Silver Sum-

mit, 5:30-7:30 pm

August 19

Economic Development, 8:00 am

August 20

Women in Lumpkin Leadership

Breakfast at Stewart Center for

Continuing Education, 8:00 am

August 21

Board Meeting, 12:00 pm

August 27

Ambassadors Meeting, 12:00 pm

Save the Dates

From Dahlonega in the north to Buckhead in the south, Georgia 400, one of the state’s best known and well-traveled highways, of-fers a virtual showcase of towns brimming with restaurants, shops and boutiques, lodging from bed-and-breakfast inns to sparkling hotel resorts, historical sites, scads of events and festivals, and perhaps best of all, incredible scenery found nowhere else in the South. Designated as Georgia’s “Hos-pitality Highway” by the state legislature, in part because of the incredible array of activ-

ities to see and do, Georgia 400 is all about welcoming visitors with genu-ine warmth and southern hospitality along this incredible stretch of road.

Each community along the Hospital-ity Highway has been afforded eye-catching and signs that display the Georgia peach logo along with the wording “A Hospitality Highway Com-munity.” If visitors begin their journey along Georgia 400 in Sandy Springs, for example, they’ll find the heart-beat of the city is the mighty Chatta-hoochee River that brings plenty of outdoors opportunities. Dahlonega, at the other end of the Hospitality Highway, offers all the wonders of a mountain town, including Appala-chian music, art, five North Georgia wineries, and even chances to pan for gold. The North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall and Amicalola State Park is located in Dawson County, while Roswell has history and charm ga-lore. Alpharetta is chockfull of parks and green space (and plenty of shop-ping, too!), while Lake Lanier in Cum-ming/Forsyth County awaits boaters, swimmers, and anglers of all ages.

The Hospitality Highway is a coop-erative marketing program between the Convention and Visitors Bureaus of Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming/Forsyth County, Dawson County, Dahlonega-Lumpkin County, Sandy Springs Hospitality & Tourism, Buck-head , and is funded in part by grants from the Georgia Department of Economic Development/Tourism Foundation. At the Governor’s Con-ference on Tourism in 2007, the Hos-pitality Highway was presented the “Best Practices, Best of Show” award by Governor Sonny Perdue and the

program has been the proto-type for a new “converged tourism technology platform” created with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and students and professors at the University of Georgia. For more information and to download the Hospitality Highway’s aptly-described bro-chures entitled “From Metro to Mountains: Magnolias … Moonshine … Merlot” and “Where Mother Nature is at Home,” visit www.hospitalityhighway.com.

www.hospitalityhighway.com

Georgia’s Hospitality Highway

Georgia 400 is all about welcoming visitors with genuine warmth and southern hospitality along this incredible stretch of road.


Healthcare Perspective: Want to Save Money on Health Care-Related Costs?

May 2008 - Business After Hours: Chestatee Ford

Ground Breaking for Dahlonega’s New Water Treatment Plant

(Left) Mick Stephens with Chestatee Ford and his staff accept a certificate of appre-ciation from Board members Alan Grizzle and Tommy Folger.

(Right) Mrs. West wins the $70 raffle which is presented here by Gary Powers.

In these days of increasing health care costs, everyone is looking for money-saving ways to ease the pain. Prescription drugs are one area where patients are spending more and more money every year. Asking your doctor for the generic version of any drug that may be prescribed is a common cost-cutting move. Here are some others:

• Buy a pill cutter, and ask your doctor for higher doses of a medication. For example, half a month’s supply of 100-milligram tab-lets (which you can cut in half ) may cost less than a month’s supply of 50-milligram tab-lets.

• Ask your doctor for samples so that you can make sure a prescription is going to work before you spend money on it.

• Use coupons, which sometimes run in newspapers and magazines. Also visit the drug manufacturers’ websites for any cou-

pons or discount offers.

• Check online by visiting your pharmacy’s website, if they have one, where you may find cheaper drug prices than in the store.

Besides prescription drugs, health insur-ance premiums are another area where we’re looking for ways to decrease costs. To find out if you can save money on your pre-miums, check out the MemberCare Alliance of Lumpkin SM program-- part of a state-wide network with 125 Chambers offering discounted insurance products to Chamber members.

Lumpkin Chamber business members can take advantage of a comprehensive health insurance plan underwritten by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, featuring group health insurance with a premium discount of 3 to 5 percent for Chamber member busi-nesses with 2 to 50 covered employees (de-

pending on the size of your business and/or the plan you select).

Also through this program, a variety of other insurance companies offer products—most at discounted premium rates—such as long term and short term disability, dental, acci-dental death and dismemberment, term life insurance, and long term care insurance. All these products are available through Cham-ber member insurance agents.

For more information, call the Chamber at 706-864-3711, Purchasing Alliance Solu-tions, Inc., (the company that developed MemberCare Alliance of Lumpkin County) at

800-782-8254, or one of your local partici-pating Chamber member insurance agents.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc., is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The planning for this facility begin over 4 years ago. The City Council recognized the need for additional treated water to meet the needs of our growing community. The Council began taking steps to ensure the city could finance the construction of a new plant. Through the development of a water and sewer master plan and a well planned financial strategy that included a revenue bond and the use of SPLOST money the council was able to move forward with the engineering and begin the construc-tion. The raw water line and transmission line contract will cost $3,986,000 and was awarded to W. L. Haley, Inc. The water plant contract at a cost of $15,985,000 was award-ed to Southern Champion Contractors. The plant will be operational by January 2010.

This plant will not only serve COD but will also provide water to LCWSA through a wa-

ter purchase agreement with the city. This facility will serve our needs well into 2050. It is constructed so that production can be expanded with minimum cost assuming a moderate population growth.

Phase I will provide 4 million gallons of wa-ter per day and should carry us into 2025. Phase II will provide 6 million gallons of wa-ter per day and should meet our needs into 2045-2050. Then the plant can be expanded for the last time to 10 million gallons per day. The use of new membrane filtration technology makes this expansion possible in a very cost effective manner. The building is built to accommodate additional filters as the water demand increases. Additionally, the membrane technology produces a sig-nificantly higher quality of water than the conventional water treatment process used in the old plant. Higher water quality means

better drinking water for our customers and makes the city more competitive in attract-ing industry to the community.

The city is very proud to be the only mem-brane filtration plant in the State of Georgia and one of only a few in the Southeast.


Leadership Lumpkin County

Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Larry Sorohan

Are you interested in becoming a leader in our community? Are you already a leader who wants to further develop and improve your leadership skills? If so, please consider being a part of the Leadership Lumpkin County - Class of 2009.

Plans are currently underway developing the class schedule and course content for the 2009 Class, which will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Leadership Lump-kin County program. The program began in 1989, being sponsored by the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce, in order to “build and maintain an active pool of local individuals who have studied and demonstrated qualities of effective leadership, who are familiar with public is-sues facing Lumpkin County and the City of Dahlonega, and who are willing to make themselves available to contribute in lead-ership capacities to the betterment of their community”.

The Class of 2009 will begin with a welcom-ing reception this September followed im-mediately by Class I - Leadership and Team Building. Classes continue, one class each month, through April of 2009, and will be followed by graduation. Classes are de-signed to familiarize participants with vari-ous aspects of our community, including but not being limited to, Education, Law Enforcement, Economic Development,

Tourism, Community Resources, Healthcare, Agribusiness, and Local Government.

icipants are expected to attend each class session and participate in a special “class project”, which is chosen by the members of the class and which will be of benefit to our community.

Applications for the Leadership Lumpkin County program and additional in-formation regard-ing Leadership Lumpkin County can be found by going to www.leadershiplumpkin.com. This site was developed by the Class of 2008 as their class project and includes de-scriptions of each class and the open-ing reception and graduation cer-emony.

Paper copies of the Leadership Lumpkin County application and information brochure will be available starting in

July, and can be obtained at the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center or by contacting the Chair of the Class of 2009:

Bob Pullen 706-864-8914

or email to: [email protected]

Dr. Lawrence J. Sorohan moved to Dahlone-ga in 1972. Husband to Sallie Joe Sorohan, and father to four sons, Bryan, Jonathan, Larry and Paul, Larry was a professor of teacher education at North Georgia College and State University until 1993 when he retired. In 1980, Larry received the “Distin-guished Professor” award, presented by the NGCSU Alumni Association for recognition of excellency within the faculty.

Larry also wrote several successful grants for the City of Dahlonega and Lumpkin County. The benefits of these grants can be seen in the street-scapes (the roses and landscap-ing around town), a literary program, and the beautiful town entrance signs.

Currently on the Board for the historic Holly Theatre, Larry was an instrumental part in restoring the Holly Theatre in the early 1990’s, and at which he has both directed and acted in several theatrical productions.

In 2000, he was appointed Manager (part-time) for the Better Hometown Program and staff for the Dahlonega Downtown De-velopment Authority. He retired from BHT-

DDDA in 2005.

Larry’s additional community involve-ment includes having started “Music in the Park”, the Better Hometown program, Helping in Housing (prior to Habitat for Humanity), and was one of the first recipients of the Dahlonega Nugget Magnificent 7 Award.

Also known as “The Voice of Lumpkin County High School” at local football games, Larry actively helped in sports when his children were young.

Larry now greets visitors to our beau-tiful town by volunteering his time at the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Al-ways seen with a smile, Larry’s per-sonable nature, friendly charm and knowledge of our town’s history and local attractions are just some of the benefits he brings to our local visitor’s center.

(Above) The Leadership Lumpkin Class of 2008 on Law Enforcement Day in front of the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Department and County Jail. Class members include: (front) Hostess Brenda Cronan; (first row, from left) Beth Snider, Teresa Boulware, Kim Pruitt, Juanita Tipton, Cathy Sanford, Tish Morgan, Donna Minnich, Laurie Sulflow, Brenda Bland; (second row, from left) Rob Jones, Mike Tinney, Bob Monroe, Bob Pullen, Jan Komara, Tony Herrington, Jeff Davis, Paula Palmour. Not pictured: Max Burns, Julia Foltz.


Talking with Trina Pellegrino, you under-stand why she is successful as a licensed Massage Therapist and owner of Mountain Top Massage. When asked what most ex-cites her about her business, Trina says “that I get to help people feel better, and to assist them in being proactive about taking care of themselves. I feel very strongly about the mind, body, spirit connection and feel that massage is a great way to help your body operate at its optimal level. It also helps al-leviate the stress and tension of everyday activities. The human touch is a very power-ful tool and can be very helpful as a healing modality.”

Trina graduated from Rising Spirit Institute of Natural Health Massage School in Cham-blee Dunwoody in June 2005 and opened her business in September of that same year. Massage is actually Trina’s second ca-reer. She was previously in the airline indus-try for 25 years and left when they closed the Northwest hangar in Atlanta. Over the course of that time, she did everything from accounting to being Production Scheduler of the Engine Shop which included physi-cally moving engine parts. During her air-line years, she went through several layoffs during which she worked at various jobs to include working as a receptionist at an Alco-hol and Drug Abuse facility to selling Ak47s and SKS rifles for a Chinese family. She ac-tually became interested in massage in the early 90’s, but due to economic reasons, wasn’t able to attend school until her airline career ended.

Trina and her husband have loved living in Dahlonega. They feel fortunate enough to have moved here 3 ½ years ago and have enjoyed it tremendously. Trina says “the longer we are here, the more we love it”! Af-ter working in corporate America and hav-ing to punch a clock for 25 years, Trina was thrilled to be able to set her own rules at her own business. As for having a business here in Dahlonega, Trina thinks it is great. “I suppose I could’ve gone to work for one of the many very nice spas in the area but I wanted to be totally in control of my own business. I’ve been able to meet some great people and was warmly welcomed by other long time established Massage Therapists in the area. I don’t know if that would’ve hap-pened in a larger city” Trina states.

Speaking of other Massage Therapists, Tri-na believes that there are some really top notch Therapists in this area, along with sev-eral classy spas. To her, choosing a Massage Therapist is a very personal thing. Trina tells first time clients that she will do her best for them but if they decide they don’t like her technique or they just don’t click for some reason not to give up on massage….try another Therapist until you find the right fit. Even though massage therapist are all taught the same techniques, every therapist

brings their own touch and personality into the equation. Trina tries to convey to her clients that their well being is of utmost im-portance and she will do her best for them each time they visit her.

Trina is excited to be able to add pregnancy massage to her repertoire. She will be at-tending a class in September titled “Nur-turing the Mother” taught by a highly re-spected Therapist from North Carolina. She understands that it is a very powerful class and she is looking forward to being able to help future mothers during pregnancy and beyond.

One of Trina’s biggest challenges facing her in business today is that, unfortunately, a lot of people are still under the impression that massage is a luxury and only for pampering oneself, when in fact it can be an integral part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The industry has made steps in that direction and the public perception is improving but there is always room for more education.

Trina is also very active in our community. She and her husband both love theater so they were delighted to find the Holly The-ater and become volunteers there. “It’s a great theater and a lot of fun to be involved with”, Trina says. They are also very proud to be a part of the group that puts up the mark-ers and flags honoring our veterans. Trina smiles and adds, “I love seeing the town when it’s paying respect to those who have served our country and helped in making us safe”. Trina also enjoys welcoming both new businesses to the community and pay-ing tribute to ones that have been around for many years in her role as Chamber Am-bassador, attending many businesses rib-bon cuttings. Trina’s latest endeavor is one that coincides with a pet peeve of hers….she hates litter! Trina is a walker and as she walks, she picks up litter. Trina and her hus-band decided to take it a step further, so they contacted Leslie George with the “Keep Our Mountains Beautiful” program. Trina is proud to say she is now the local contact for anyone who would like to adopt a county road to help keep our community clean. Trina reminds “we live in such a beautiful place it’s a shame that people don’t want to keep it clean”!

Trina hopes that Dahl-onega will be able to keep its small town charm as growth is inevitable. She also hopes to be able to educate people about keeping litter in its place…in trashcans, not along our streets. Trina reminds “it re-ally is so simple to just throw the trash out

while filling up at gas stations so we can keep it off our streets”.

Trina’s warm personality and great insight is a sure combination for success. When asked what she feels has led to her own success, she says “to me success means being happy with what you are doing and feeling like I make a difference in my clients’ lives. One measure of success is running into a client in town and have them introduce her to their friends as “This is Trina, she’s my Massage Therapist”; that really feels good!

Trina gives thanks to those who have been most helpful to her as a business owner. First and foremost she thanks her husband who has been supportive of her from the beginning, encouraging her to pursue her passion. She also thanks the people at the Chamber of Commerce, as they have been invaluable in getting the word out about her business. Trina gives a special thanks to Hal Williams, Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Mary Ann Knight, man-ager of the Welcome Center, for all of their support. Also, she gives a big thank you to Massage Therapists, Susan Hunt and Penny Snyder, who have been very encouraging to her and made a newcomer feel very wel-come! And last but not least her clients who have been gracious enough to refer their friends. As everyone knows word of mouth is a great way to grow a business!

Spotlight on Business: Trina Pellegrino – Mountain Top Massage

Solutions with choices are easy, just call

Apply online at: www.caroltuftsinsurance.com

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.


July 4th Celebration!

Dahlonega’s Fifth Annual Literary Festival & Writer’s Conference

City of Dahlonega Georgia 4th of July Cel-ebration will feature a Community Reading of the US Constitution

Amy Booker, Projects and Events Coordi-nator of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce announced today that a community reading of the full text of the US Constitution has been added to the City's annual 4th of July celebration.

The reading will be conducted on the west lawn of the Gold Museum on the Public Square. It will follow directly the Patriotic Ceremony which is scheduled to start at the same location at 10:00 am. The constitution reading with be sponsored by the Georgia Mountains Unitarian Universalist Church lo-cated in Dahlonega.

Frank Gilkeson, President-Elect of the Church stated that "It is very appropriate

that we take time to gather together to read to one another from this auspicious docu-ment on the Fourth of July. The Constitu-tion is a living document that defines how we are able to conduct our affairs and share our common life. All members of the Armed Services of the United States take a solemn oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution."

Members of the community will be able to sign up to read from the Constitution. Ev-ery reader will receive a pocket-sized copy of the US Constitution as a souvenir of their participation.

Gary Powers, President of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce, stated that he was very pleased to be able to add this event to the Fourth of July Celebra-tion. He anticipates that this may become a regular part of the day's activities.

Detailed information about the Dahlonega Fourth of July Celebration can be found on the Chamber's web site at http://www.dahl-onega.org/.

Amy Booker can be reached at (706) 864-3711 or [email protected]

Frank Gilkeson can be reached at [email protected]

Gary Powers can be reached at (706) 864-3711 or [email protected]

The Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Cham-ber of Commerce is located at 13 South Park Street, Dahlonega, GA 30533. Phone: 706.864.3711 | 800.231.5543

The Georgia Mountains Unitarian Univer-salist Church is located at 439 South Park Street, Dahlonega, Ga 30533. Their website is at http://www.gmuuc.org/.

This year’s Fifth Annual Dahlonega Literary Festival and Writer’s Conference will be held starting August 8 through 10th and is a joint effort between North Georgia College and University and local residents and business-es. Sponsors include North Georgia College & State University, NGCSU Foundation, Lily Creek Lodge, Long Mountain Lodge, Monta-luce, Mountain Laurel Inn and Day Spa.

Steve Berry (bestselling author, The Venetian Betrayal & The Alexandria Link will share the Headliner List with New York Times Best Selling author, Karen Abbott, Patti Callahan Henry, and Joshilyn Jackson.

This year’s special guest is Nathalie Dupree, author of Shrimp and Grits Cookbook. Na-thalie, a cookbook author and founder of the Rich’s (famous department store in At-lanta) Cooking School will be doing a cook-ing demonstration from the Tuscan kitchen

at the Montaluce Vineyard and Winery on Saturday, August 9, 2008 at 4 pm.

The 2008 Dahlonega Literary Festival will also feature Mitchell Graham, Dana Wild-smith, Lenore Hart, William Rawlings, John Mark Eberhart, Mark Braught and Laura Knorr Braught, Jackie Cooper, Cathy Kaem-merlen, Walter Sorrells, Karen White and the Dixie Divas: Julie Cannon, Jackie Miles and Patricia Sprinkle.

The Dahlonega festival is noted for the “cof-fee shop” atmosphere of the author book readings scheduled in restaurants and gal-leries around the historic Square. Readings, book sales, lectures, workshops, “Lunch with the Stars,” costumed characters for the Chil-dren section and literary-themed Scavenger Hunt.

Admission to the Festival is Free with most events also free of charge. There is a $100

registration fee for the Writer’s Conference.

For a complete schedule of events, please visit: www.literaryfestival.org.

If you would like to become a sponsor, contact Sharon Bacek at 706-864-6848.

Volunteers are needed. To volunteer, con-tact Barbara Welzein at 706-867-8512.

We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends!

Popular local artist Bill Lawson from ‘Bleu Gallery’ is shown here demonstrating his talents in sign painting and restoration. Bill just restored the Visitors Center signs which were in a desperate state of repair. Thanks Bill for your hard work.

A native of Missouri, Bill has lived in Dahlonega since he was eighteen. At six years old, he started drawing and was school artist at eight.

He went to art school at Free Lance Art Instructions at age fifteen, and, to the commercial arts school, Famous Artists Schools for two years at age twenty-two,.

"I do fine art in all mediums for the love of creativity," Bill says. He calls all the work he does "chasing the wind."

Bill has done artistic signs, designed

letterheads, logos, original cartoons and il-lustrations. He paints in all mediums on can-vas and board - contemporary, traditional, and landscapes. Bill does wall and board murals for children's rooms, homes, and businesses.

The Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce and CVB would like to extend a special ‘Thank You’ to Bill for restoring the sign over the Visitor’s Center. Bill’s friendly demeanor and creative talents are truly an asset to Dahlonega and we are proud to call him our friend! Thanks, Bill!


Ribbon Cuttings

Jones & Company

Quigley’s Rare Book and Antiques

(Right) Thomas Lloyd was surrounded by his family and friends displaying the rare books and antiques you can find inside Quigley’s. They have just added an atrium in the rear of the store for antiques. Stop in and have some coffee or tea and sit down and browse through a book and just have a wonderful conversation with Thomas.

(Above) Dr. Binkley cuts ribbon with Dr. Hoschild nearby

(Left) Gayle Jones cut ribbon with husband PJ and son Patrick. Amy Forrest and staff joined in.

Quigleys Rare Book and Antiques ribbon cutting represents the introduction of our new Antique Arbor, now ready for consign-ors. (Thank you for your hard work, Bob, Sue, and Bonnie!) Fine antiques will be the dis-tinguishing feature of this area. The shared ribbon cutting also represents a premium benefit of owning a business in Dahlonega - connections with kind people!

The passion I have for old books makes my work fascinating, but it is always people who make life worthwhile. It is a blessing

to be surrounded by nice folks who share the same challenge of courting a profit as we offer unique products in a unique town. We encourage each other and are likewise encouraged by our allies at the Chamber of Commerce, whose efforts on our behalf we very much appreciate. This community can be proud of their historic square and the people who work there. Come visit!

Thomas Lloyd Owner Quigleys Rare Books and Antiques

Northview Associates

Gayle Jones started Jones and Company, specialty retail and gift shop, 15 years ago. Exciting changes are happening at Jones and Company as it moves to a new loca-tion on Dahlonega’s Historic Square. Gayle is extremely excited about her new location as she is now on the main sidewalk down-town, which attracts more shoppers. Her new location is charming both inside and outside. Gayle’s shop has that southern feel

and charm. Jones & Company offers lovely free gift wrap for her clients, fresh displays, is open seven days a week and carefully se-lects merchandise such as Brighton hand-bags, jewelry, home gifts, sunglasses and key chains, bath and body products, Aroma-tique potpourri and candles, exclusive jew-elry and many other items to give to your-self or someone special!

The physicians and staff at Northview are dedicated to providing the highest quality orthopedic care and services for the North Georgia community, with offices in Dahl-onega and Dawsonville. Their orthopedic surgeons are Board certified with advanced fellowship training in arthroscopic surgery, total joint replacement and sports medi-cine.

Northview Associates was the first in the

Dahlonega area to offer OPEN magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and digital x-ray. They provide excellence of care and the con-venience of not having to drive to Gaines-ville or Atlanta for your orthopedic needs.

Northview provides care for orthopedic problems and conditions such as: spine and neck, hands, wrists, arm and elbow, foot and ankle, as well as sports medicine, work-related Injuries, shoulder, hip and knees.

Common ThreadsThe Common Thread, for your Quilting and Sewing Supplies. We have fabrics, notions, books, patterns and cross stitch supplies. We have a full line of Janome Sewing Ma-chines and accessories which includes ma-chine embroidery designs and supplies. Our Services include Gammill Machine

Quilting and Machine Embroidery. We offer Quilting and Sewing Classes for Beginners to Advanced. The Grand Opening held on June 9th was a great success! Norma Daube was the lucky winner of our Janome Gem Platinum sewing machine, which has a retail value of $399.00!

(Right) Kim Jarrard, Judy Lance, Amy Caldwell, Abby Caldwell, Gen Scott, Terry Peters, Lynn Pfeiffer, Robbie Casteel, Bernice Ricketts, Dana and Mia Fritchle, Mary Gafford, Deborah Raptis, Helen Smith, Chuck Caldwell, Shannon Caldwell (Owner) and Loretta Grizzle, to name a few!

Ribbon Cutting Photos By Kennison Photography. Please visit: www.kennisonphotography.com

Opening for business on June 1 on the square in Dahlonega, Kryder Gallery pres-ents two exhibitions, “Stillness” and “Edie Morton - Sanctuary Places.” Works will in-clude paintings, photography, tapestries and conceptual installations created by eleven Dahlonega and Atlanta artists. An opening reception for the artists will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2 – 4 pm, and both shows run through July 15.

“Stillness” in Gallery One is a group show assembled to support our searches for time and space quiet enough to hear our inner voices. This quietness - inside and out - nur-tures our inner voices and hopefully leads us to remembrances of who we were, new awarenesses of who we are, or wishes for who we’d like to be. Heard and nurtured, our inner voices can reawaken our passions and guide us on our journey to new ways of

being. The show includes works by Aman-dine Drouet, Paul Dunlap, Terry Ergle, James Farmer, Karen Hennessee, T.W. Meyer, Trevor Morris, Edie Morton, Lex Munson, Judy Par-ady and Tommye Scanlin.

“Edie Morton - Sanctuary Spaces” in Gal-lery Two is an installation grounded in the ancient Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic and includes fine art, floating gardens, lumi-naires and medicine objects. These magical and energy-giving elements inspire a calm and natural contemplation that lead to tran-scending ways of being and seeing.

Kryder Gallery is located at 40B Public Square South, Dahlonega, Georgia. The gallery and reception are open to the public and free of charge. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Sunday, noon – 5 pm. For more information, please contact Jeff Kryder at 706.482.0204 or visit www.krydergallery.com.


Kryder Gallery

Rhapsody Grill

Treasures WithinWe are almost at our 2 year mark on the square and are delighted to be here. Our store is very unique in that we have the only smoke shop in town, and we also are regis-tered dealers for Tilley Hats, Lampe Bergers, and Peggy Karr glass. We have a wide se-lection of Lolita glasses, Bandana Yardbirds, Beasties of the Kingdom and musical carou-sels. We hope everyone will come by for a visit and have fun while they are here!

We are both retired Managers from AT&T with 45+ year’s business management experience. Hopefully that experience will help keep us going through the bad times and the good times. We plan on being permanent merchants on the square of Dahlonega. We invite you to visit and find your treasures within!

The Rhapsody Grill is a casual American dining experience featuring homemade specialties from Meatloaf to Crab Cakes, NY Strip, Filet Mignon and more. Lunch menu offered all day. Full Bar Service. Don’t miss the spectacular Spotlight Lounge, upstairs, for cocktails, appetizers, music, relaxation and fun!

Located one block north of the Dahlone-ga Public Square, in the Historic McGuire

House, behind St. Lukes Catholic Church and across from the north public parking lot.

Hours of Operation:

Open Daily from 11 AM - 9 PM. Spotlight Pi-ano Bar opens at 5 PM Wed - Sat. Late night Fri and Sat.

(Right) Colleen and Justin Green, owners, cut ribbon with Tim and Diane Quigley and staff.

(Correction to June Newsletter)

(Above) Jeff Kryder of Kryder Gallery gets into the action of cutting the red ribbon in his new Gallery located upstairs at 40B Public Square South. Stop in and see this beautiful gallery.

(Right) Kathy and Jay Moore are about to mark their 2 year anniversary on the square and are delighted to be there. Their store is very unique in that they have the only smoke shop in town, and are also registered dealers for Tilley Hats, Lampe Bergers, and Peggy Karr glass.

Ribbon Cuttings

Appalachian Chamber Orchestra

The Appalachian Chamber Orchestra of the North Georgia Symphony, Inc.

is a non-profit organization, for all ages and various levels of playing ability. We are joined by professionals when we perform concerts throughout the North Georgia area, and we enjoy playing for retirement

and assisted living homes with our smaller ensembles. We play all types of music and we rehearse every Tuesday night at

Fellowship Hall of the DUMC, at 7:00. Get out that fiddle and come join us.

13 South Park Street, Dahlonega, GA 30533Tel: 706-864-3711 Toll Free: (800) 231-5543

www.dahlonega.org

Site of the First US Gold Rush.

Dahlonega - Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce

FIRST CLASS

US POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT 30

DAWSONVILLE GA

The Joy of Connecting An Exciting Networking Opportunity for Women Who Are Serious About Growing their Business

Thursday evening, June 12, 20087:00 pm – 9:30 pm

The Joy of Connecting is a relaxed dinner/networking gathering for women business owners, entrepreneurs, other professionals that are interested in strengthening and growing their business.

Reservations and pre-payment required to secure your spot:

for questions and information

www.TheJoyofConnecting.com

This monthly experience is open to anyone interested in building relationships, expanding her business and having fun! Invite friends to come, AND remember to bring business cards/brochures.

Call 770-861-8885

Documents

The Chamber Newsletter July 2008