St. PETrick’s Day canceled due to possible inclement weather
Community, News March 9, 2022
ELLIJAY, Ga. – While St. Patrick’s Day will be coming next Thursday, the holiday will see celebrations starting this weekend for citizens and visitors to downtown Ellijay, Georgia, with St. PETrick’s Day.
An annual event, the celebration, like so many others, has seen cancellations over the last two years due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, committee lead for the St. Petrick’s Day event and Vice-President of FOGAS (Friends Of Gilmer Animal Shelter) Sylvia Harris said that they are looking to continue this weekend’s event without fail. Going so far as to say rain, shine, or snow will not stop this events return, Harris was enthusiastic about the chance for citizens and pet lovers to once again return to their parade through the downtown area.
The return of the annual pet parade and festival saw a great response from several organizations and businesses as Harris reports that the vendor spots sold out and they had to close the registration almost a full week ahead of the deadline. In addition, as part of their efforts to support the county and tourism in it, the Gilmer Chamber has also partnered with FOGAS, who is hosting St. Petrick’s Day this year, with a grant for advertising and marketing for the event.
This year, St. Petrick’s Day is seeing some upgrades and minor changes to the venue that will allow even more fun with the whole family, even the furry members. Harris noted that while the event has been held on North Main Street in past years, utilizing the parking lot next to First Baptist of Ellijay, they will be marching all the way around the square and up Broad Street to the parking lot behind Dalton State College and next to the county courthouse.
The event goes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m in the parking lot behind Dalton State College, but the parade through downtown begins at the Ellijay Elementary School at noon. Registration can be done online or in-person if you arrive early before the parade. Additionally, for those looking to potentially adopt a pet, you can “test-drive” adoptable pets from animal shelters or Homeward Bound.
Those pets are also adoptable throughout the event from the Gilmer County Animal Shelter, Pickens County Animal Shelter, and Homeward Bound. Other pet rescues will also be present for the day showcasing their rescues including goats, llamas, and horses.
More than just a parade of pets, the event hosts face painting, Friends of Harrison Park, local vendors for things like homemade animal treats, local businesses, and a bounce house for kids among other things. Additionally, the pet contests return again. Make sure both family members and pets dress up for the event. Pet Contest categories include Best Dressed, Best Vocal Performance, Best Trick with Young Handlers (17 and under), Most Unusual, and the Best Owner Pet Look-alike.
Though planning started slow in November 2021, Harris said they monitored things and looked to hold the event and made plans. Yet, they felt unsure if the event would follow through or if cancellations and closures might happen again. However, the closer the event has come, the more confident organizers became. Harris said about the event’s return, “It feels very exciting because you’re bringing the community together and we’ve had so many positive responses. You can feel the excitement that people have that they are actually going out to fun events again. For those of us putting it on, it feels great.”
Gilmer Schools finishes National FFA week
News February 22, 2022
EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer Schools has just ended its celebration of National FFA week in the system after a proclamation last Monday from Gilmer Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley officially designated the celebration in the Board of Education’s monthly meeting.
The annual Gilmer County Farm Bureau Livestock Show.
Though Gilmer has just finished its celebrations, the proclamation and actual National FFA Week began yesterday, going from February 19 to February 26 according to Ridley’s proclamation. The school system celebrated early as this week is a holiday for Gilmer. The National FFA Organization that is celebrating this week has more than 735,000 members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The week saw events on each day including teacher celebrations and a scavenger hunt and ended on Friday with the hosting of the annual Gilmer County Farm Bureau Livestock Show. This was Gilmer’s students last showing before heading to state this week during the national celebration of FFA Week.
Gilmer High School Agriculture Education teacher Claire Woodard said, “Each year, over 750,000 students throughout the entire United States band together to celebrate National FFA Week… As part of our kickoff, we wanted the board to help us with signing this proclamation.”
Gilmer Schools celebrates its agriculture teachers with Ag Teacher Appreciation Day.
At the national level, this weeks celebrations involve Grants for Growing (G4G), a competitive grant program for middle and high school FFA chapters that are developing and improving project-based or experiential learning opportunities for students, sponsored by Tractor Supply Company (TSC) and funded purchases of an FFA paper emblem at TSC stores during checkout. Wednesday is the national Ag Teacher Appreciation Day. Thursday hosts Give FFA Day, a day completely focused on encouraging communities to donate and support, in any way, local students and chapters of FFA. Friday becomes Wear Blue Day as a celebration of pride in the FFA program across the nation. The week also hosts several online and interactive activities like agriculture and education trivia.
So while the schools may be on holiday, Gilmer FFA students are still celebrating both online and in person with activities all week. With support of the school system as a whole and from the national organization, National FFA Week is still underway and will continue into the coming years. In fact, future dates for FFA week have already been set at the National Level for the coming years including February 18-25, 2023, February 17-24, 2024, and February 15-22, 2025.
(Photos provided by Gilmer Schools and Gilmer FFA program.)
Festival of Trees kicks off with Christmas open house at Gilmer Library
Community, News December 4, 2021
ELLIJAY, Ga. – An annual event, the Festival of Trees that Gilmer’s Library hosts during December showcases tress from local businesses, organizations, and entities. Each year hosts the celebration to kick off the season and has become an essential part of Gilmer’s Christmas Traditions.
Sitting on the couch, kids and parents listen as Santa Claus reads “The Night Before Christmas” in a special video for the Festival of Trees.
A well anticipated event, the commissioners discussed the Christmas celebration briefly with representatives of the library as early as October during the budget meetings. With December finally here, the library has 23 trees standing in the building from across the county.
The Festival lasts through December and citizens can visit the Calvin Jackson Drive location just off of Highway 282 during normal operation hours of the library, but December 1, 2021, saw the open house event hosting games, ornament crafting, and other Christmas events during the night.
Children present were treated to videos from Santa Claus throughout the night as he read The Night Before Christmas and special messages.
Hosting families from Gilmer County, the Library’s ornament crafting stations involved the whole family gathering at a number of tables during the Open House.
The library hosted VR experience stations playing Beat Saber. Several games including ornament ring toss, a cakewalk, bean bag “snowball toss,” and others. An entire section of the library’s basement hosted tables full of supplies and equipment for crafting homemade ornaments.
Additionally, a special guest showed up for the night. Calder, Gilmer Public Safety’s Crisis Response Therapy Dog, spent the night saying hello and receiving some petting from kids and adults alike. Not just a part of Public Safety, Calder is a charter member of the ACES Crisis Response Therapy Dog Team. He is currently in training for search, rescue, and recovery with Emergency K-9 Operation, Inc. Search and Rescue. Even he wasn’t a super dog for being able to search for and then both physically rescue and emotionally calm people, he is extending his reach even further participating in educational and reading programs.
Taking a moment to post with his handler and a visiting vamily, Caldera, a emotional therapy dog with Gilmer Public Safety, visited the Open House of the Gilmer Library’s 2021 Festival of Trees.
All this combines to make Calder specially capable of working with anyone facing emotional, mental, or physical challenges.
Some of the reading programs, as his handler explained, involve him simply sitting and listening to children read to him, others are more advanced, and his emotional training helps him with people in dangerous situations or just having trouble with reading aloud.
Calder traveled both upstairs and downstairs during the open house to visit all sections of the celebrations as the Festival of Trees is solely on the main floor. Each tree hosts its own theme and group. From the toolbox ornaments adorning the Lowe’s tree to the songbirds all resting on the branches of the Garden Club of Ellijay’s tree to the messages and photos in ornaments of the CLC’s (Christian Learning Center) tree, each and every tree has little things to notice and find and enjoy.
The Gilmer Animal Shelter tree, an entire “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme sees Jack Skellington’s own dog Zero atop the tree, but look closer and follow a certain orange and black ornamental wrap and you’ll notice a familiar snake from the movie munching on presents.
Made by the Gilmer Animal Shelter, this “Nightmare Before Christmas” themed tree was entirely made from collectibles and handmade ornaments from Shelter employees.
Animal Shelter Director Daniel Laukka, who attended the event to support the efforts of library he said, told FYN that his tree specifically had another hidden detail that many couldn’t know or notice. Laukka said every single ornament on the tree either came from the private collection of one of the shelter’s workers or was hand crafted by shelter employees.
The trees included the Apple County Quilt Guild, Girl Scouts of Gilmer County, Samaritan’s Purse, Lowe’s, Gilmer County Master Gardeners, Garden Club of Ellijay, the Gilmer Chamber, Gilmer County Genealogical Society, Friends of the Gilmer Animal Shelter, the Tabor House, the Gilmer Animal Shelter, the Gilmer Library’s Lego Lab, Gilmer Christian Learning Center, the UGA Extension Office, Coosawattee Shrine Club, Harry Norman Realty, Kids Ferst Readers of Gilmer County, Boys and Girls Club, OAKS Senior Living, Safe Choice Pregnancy Care Center, Faith Hope and Charity, Friends of the Gilmer Library, and Walnut Mountain Garden Club.
Make sure to see all of the trees in FYN’s Gilmer Festival of Trees photos on Facebook.
Ellijay will have Fireworks without a parade for July 4th
News June 15, 2020
ELLIJAY, Ga. – Chamber President/CEO Paige Hutto (formerly Paige Green) spoke with Ellijay City Council Members this week about details that many citizens are seeking regarding the upcoming 4th of July Celebration including the parade and fireworks.
She confirmed that there will not be a parade, but the Chamber will be spending this week in talks with Ellijay Police Chief Edward Lacey for details about safety, social distancing, and options for citizens to view the display. She confirmed with FYN that the fireworks will be launched from the area behind Ellijay Elementary School as normal. However, she mentioned thoughts about finding a way for citizens to view them like a “drive-in” movie theater, staying in vehicles or the bed of a truck to watch.
However, the thought was merely a preliminary thought, as she asserted that more details and discussions must be had with authorities on options and plans.
During the City Council Meeting, Hutto explained that they would be addressing these details more over the coming week and sharing that information with the public.
During the discussion, the council questioned for details on why there would not be a parade. Hutto explained that the original decision not to have a parade was made weeks ago based on Executive Orders from the Governor and the situation at the time. However, as times have changed and more people are returning to social and normal events, there simply was not enough time to plan a parade.
The process takes, typically, four to six weeks to plan and prepare for a parade. Now, as they return to plans for the celebration, the two and a half weeks set up is not sufficient to accomplish the entire process.
In addition to preparation, there were questions of who would assume responsibility for the festivities like a parade, be it the chamber or merchant’s association or another. Ultimately, the focus moving ahead, according to Hutto, is solely focused on putting on the fireworks display for citizens and accomplishing this safely for all involved.