|
TODAY'S ISSUE
With Duluth festival coming soon,
Duluth native recalls earlier events
By
Betsy Pickren
Special to GwinnettForum.com
SEPT. 20, 2002 -- Marching down Main Street in Duluth -waving to
people standing on the sidewalks - hearing the loud clickety-clack
of a train passing through on the tracks parallel to our parade.
These images sweep through my mind as I see all the signs for this
year's Duluth Fall Festival. My memories include other times and
other parades when I grew up in Duluth.
Betsy
Pickren |
|
My Dad told me about a Ku Klux Klan parade down Main Street he
once saw before I was born. He and his brother-in-law were standing
on the sidewalk trying to identify the men under the sheets by their
shoes.
My uncle yelled out, "Ho Ho, boys, there is ________, I'd
recognize those feet anywhere!" So much for the secret society.
I don't remember a Klan march through Duluth in my lifetime. Thank
goodness times have changed.
When I was a child in the 50's, once a year all the students marched
down Main Street from the school to the cemetery next to what is
now the Masonic Lodge. We took flowers to put on the graves of soldiers
on Memorial Day.
I remember wearing a long dress in the style of the previous century
and marching beside bonneted women and bearded men in honor of some
occasion in the early 60's.
The high school homecoming parade rolled down that same route when
I was a senior at Duluth High School. Our float boasted a huge class
ring decorated with purple napkins and crape paper. In 1976 we celebrated
the birth of our nation and the state charter of our city with a
parade and festival.
Then on a cold, drizzly day in October of 1983, the first Fall
Festival was born. The annual event has mushroomed since then.
So, when I think of the 2002 Duluth Fall Festival, I anticipate
past and future. Duluth has re-invented itself in the last few years.
New buildings, trees and landscaping intertwine with the old ones.
City and festival leaders come from all parts of the country and
the world. And yet, there are still some familiar faces from my
childhood.
Katherine Parsons Willis, a Duluth native, is one of the visionaries.
My twin classmates, Mary and Martha Gilbert (today Mary Malinowski
and Martha Holmes) have co-ordinate the parade for several years.
All year long my stepmother, Winnie Corley (age 89), looks forward
to riding in a convertible and waving to all her friends. They are
some of the links in the chain of time.
One year Senator Max Cleland was a speaker. Another time the Mayor
of Duluth, Minnesota. came to visit his city's Georgia namesake.
Duluth, Georgia is really on the map!
In 2002, children will play in the fountains in the new park. We
will gaze in awe at the changes in what used to be a sleepy little
railroad town. We will gather at the gazebo in Taylor Park; notice
the volunteers in their matching T-shirts; tap our toes to the music
on the big Festival stage; and generally experience being a part
of something magical.
Shoulder to shoulder, over 40,000 folks will snake their way among
the booths full of arts, crafts and food - most of them unaware
of the ghosts from other frolics floating among them. The Fall Festival
honors the old and the new. It is a symbol that Duluth moves with
the times - just like the trains that continue moving down the tracks
through the middle of town.
Just imagine the Duluth Fall Festival of 2030! back
to top
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Many Georgians would enjoy southeastern Kentucky
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com
SEPT. 20, 2002 -- A trip to southeastern Kentucky? "Why?"
you ask.
Most Georgians will ask. You see, Kentucky doesn't get many people
visiting as tourists from Georgia, Alabama and Florida, nor even
from Tennessee. For some reason, these southerners don't go north
much for vacations.
The majority of their visitors come instead from Indiana, Ohio,
Michigan and Illinois, which is natural, we presume, since people
often go south for warmer climes.
While some Georgians think of Kentucky as horse country, and
go to the track and stables in Louisville or Lexington, that is
only one of the attractions of the state, or more correct, the
commonwealth. Kentucky has a diverse mixture of activities, often
associated with water. In a few days, Kentucky will also be a
good destination for another activity, seeing the colorful leaves
of fall from its many hardwoods!
Snaking through southeast Kentucky is the Cumberland River, a
mecca to many an outdoorsman, whether for fishing, recreation,
or most of all, houseboating.
The lake is a big playground for houseboats. As a comparison,
Georgia's Lake Lanier has some 600 miles of shoreline. Lake Cumberland
counts 1,200 shoreline miles. It's different from its Georgia
counterpart: there are virtually no private homes overlooking
Lake Cumberland. The Corps of Engineers owns to the ridgeline,
hence no homes are seen from the lake.
Houseboats here are big, really big, and costly. Most average
about 80 feet long, 18-20 feet wide, though some measure 120 feet
long. Recently I saw such boats with two or three floors, with
helicopters perched on top of two boats.
No matter your houseboat length, Coast Guard regulations allow
only 12 berths on each boat. When about 20 visiting journalist's
toured Lake Cumberland recently, two houseboats were lashed together
to circumvent the limitation on people capacity.
Other highlights of the southeast Kentucky area:
-
Cumberland College's collection of Christian
crosses in Williamsburg. Over 7,000 crosses are in the collection
of a late Baptist minister.
-
The Marble Dome in Tompkinsville, where men
play marbles in an old chicken house virtually every day.
-
Distinctive artisans and crafts, a heritage
from the Appalachian mountains.
-
Renfro Valley, with its old-time country music
and gospel shows, and the adjacent Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.
-
The setting of the Great Awakening, that surge
of religious activity partially out of Kentucky, which set the
tone for much of the fundamental Protestant Christianity of
our nation.
-
Great state parks and lodges, often with giant
marinas off its major lakes. In particularly, Lake Cumberland
State Park is a virtual town to itself, with good dining at
its restaurant, plus camping, boating and outdoor activity.
Tame deer graze wistfully nearby as you walk a trail. A skunk
and two deer searched for food quietly outside my room, while
visitors in nearby rooms clicked away with their camera.
-
Cumberland Falls, just north of Tennessee, where
the river falls 64 feet off a curved ledge, dubbed the "Little
Niagara," It's in its own state park.
* * * * *
Kentucky is beginning to see more tastefully decorated bed-and-breakfast
locations. Many are tucked well back in small towns or in the
hills and hollows, and offer a quiet serenity not routinely found
in any part of the country.
It's about 300 miles from Atlanta, a good day's drive, to the
unique world of southeastern Kentucky. For more information, check
out www.tourseky.com,
or dial 1-877-TOUR-SEKY (877-868-7735).back
to top
ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers.. Today's sponsor is the Media
Training Center, which specializes in crisis media training
to hone a firm's presentation to the public. In depth study on
a one or two day seminar can improve a company's relationships,
especially in a time of crisis. Check out the media tips on the
Internet.
For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm.
Back
to top
FEEDBACK:
9/20: Candidate actually
took down a yard sign
Editor, the Forum:
Thanks for your comments on election signage. A short time before
the primary, a candidate for state representative knocked on my
door and asked if he could put a sign in my yard. I was proud
for him to do so.
When I returned home from work the day after the election, the
sign was gone. Unfortunately, this fellow lost his race, but perhaps
we could encourage him to provide instructions to all the other
candidates.
I am certainly enjoying "The Forum" especially all
the Dacula coverage.
-- Elizabeth Brock, Atlanta
(Editor's Note: the candidate who took down
his signs quickly was Max Davis of the 52d District in Dunwoody.-eeb)
9/20: Wonders if
she missed something about anthem
Editor, the Forum:
The many tributes, memorial services and dedications that we
attended in remembrance of the victims and the heroes of 9-11
were inspirational and reminded us again of our gratitude for
the freedoms we often take for
granted.
However, I am a bit puzzled as to when the decision was made
that our "National Anthem" should be sung by soloists
with their personal interpretations rather than the citizens of
our great country.
As a young person when I attended a sports event, assembly, patriotic
observance, political rally and other gatherings we sang OUR "National
Anthem" with our hearts beating and often tears flowing.
Now I observe, with sadness, that on the rare occasions when we
are encouraged to sing along how few of our young adults and children
know the words.
Did I miss some proclamation that only trained vocalists can
appropriately give voice to the anthem of our country? If so,
then I need to be informed, because I always sing out much to
the embarrassment of those in my near vicinity!
-- Janet Gibson, Lawrenceville
(Dear Janet: If you missed it, so did we.
Participatory singing of the Anthem is a much better way than
watching someone else sing. Thanks for your thought. -eeb)
9/20: Made a slip
in identifying congressman
Editor, the Forum:
I'm enjoying reading the Forum. I think this type of media is
the future of journalism. Keep up the great work.
You did have a small slip today, though. It's Congressman Nathan
Deal, an old friend of mine, not Nathan Dean.
-- Myles Godfrey, Winder
(Dear Myles: Yes, we goofed. Thanks for catching
it. Mr. Dean is a state representative, and Mr. Deal is one of
Gwinnett's new Congressmen. Apologies to both. -eeb)
back
to top
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
Another of those
principles
Nixon's Principle: "If two wrongs don't make a right, try
three."
-- The late Orville Campbell of Chapel Hill, N.C. back
to top
SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication. Back
to top
===========================================
MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com
© 2002, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum
is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett
County, Ga. USA.
|
