Georgia Magazine - February 2018 - 5

FROM THE EDITOR
Birds live everywhere that
people do and have been important
to human culture from our earliest history. They represent a vital
and visible link to our environment
and help us feel more connected to
the natural world. So much so that
National Geographic, the National
Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology have teamed up to
declare 2018 the Year of the Bird. To
get involved, visit bit.ly/yrofbird18
for suggestions on simple but meaningful ways to help build a better
world for our feathered friends.
While this year represents the
first such designation, the Year of
the Bird is not the first collaboration between the National Audubon
Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Since 1998, they have jointly
conducted the Great Backyard Bird
Count (GBBC), which offers citizenscientists a chance to help with realtime research. Turn to page 16 to get
a bird's-eye view of the GBBC and
find out how you can participate.
On page 24, we visit the Southeast's largest museum dedicated to
African-American art, history and
culture: the Tubman Museum in
Macon. Named for Harriet Tubman,
the abolitionist who led hundreds
of slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad, the facility is helping to energize downtown Macon
while serving as a site for classes,
performances, exhibits and family
programs.
Finally, we make another visit-this time to Maranatha Baptist
Church in Plains. Associate editor
and writer Kevin Braun is not alone
in this journey; pilgrims from all over
the world flock to the church to attend former President Jimmy Carter's
Sunday school class. See "Far-reaching lessons" on page 20 to learn
how, at 93, Carter is still spreading
the good news to the faithful.

Thank you, first responders!
A term rarely heard before 9/11
but in common use since is "first responders." I personally never associated this term with the linemen who
repair lines and poles during major
weather conditions until Hurricane
Irma in 2017. These men and women
are clearly first responders to the
thousands of customers dealing with
a lack of electrical power. They work
in terrible (and unsafe) weather conditions responding to our needs.
Many, many thanks!
-Mike Kitchens, Lavonia

Grand-prize winner
Thank you! Thank you! Thank
you! I can't tell you how much winning [the $200 Walmart gift card as
the grand prize in GEORGIA Magazine's October Georgia Fall Travel
Guide contest] means to us! Especially this time of year! We appreciate it
so much!
We own Bear Ridge Lodge in
West Dawsonville. It is our home that
we turned into a vacation rental. We
were also featured in the mini realitytelevision show "Coop Dreams" for
the incredible chicken coop my husband built for me.
Again, thank you so much!
-Becky Harris, Ellijay
Editor's note: Readers, look for
our Travel Guide contests in the
March, April, June, September, October and December issues and enter to
win. You could be a winner, too!

Bringing readers to our town

Laurel George
Editor

The ladies of the Dahlonega
Woman's Club cannot thank you
enough for the wonderful article in
November 2017 [see "Home(made)
for the holidays," page 32; bit.ly/
hm4gm]. I think I mentioned to [writer Laura Raines] about all the lovely
folks we encountered [at the Christmas Market on Candy Cane Lane]
over those two days who actually
came with their GEORGIA Magazine
article in hand, saying, "This is why
we came to Dahlonega."
We wanted you to know that, be-

February 2018

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

Enjoy!

cause of you and the article, we made
more money than ever before. We
were $1,000 over what we did last
year. Since the market closed we
have given checks to our local sheriff
for the "Shop with a Cop" program,
scholarship money for children to go
to 4-H camp and our wonderful Pick
and Bow organization, and money to
the Band of Gold at our local county
high school for a planned trip to
Washington, D.C. Additional worthwhile donations will be in the works
during 2018.
-Brita Borden, past president of
the Dahlonega Woman's Club,
Dahlonega
Correction: In our January 2018
issue, we incorrectly listed the town
for the Funk Heritage Center at Reinhardt University. It should have been
listed as Waleska. [See "The Trail of
Tears: The Cherokee Nation honors
its past and looks ahead to its future,"
page 20; bit.ly/trtgm.]
Share your thoughts. Email us at magazine@
georgiaemc.com. Please include your name,
address and phone number. Letters may be
edited for clarity and space.

They read
and won!
Congratulations to GEORGIA
Magazine's latest trivia contest winners! August 2017: Simon May, Fort
Wayne, Ind.; September 2017: Jeremy Clendenin, Marietta; October
2017: Miranda Solomon, Hawkinsville; November 2017: Arda Ansbaugh, Culloden; December 2017:
Patricia Jefferson, Hephzibah.
Entering our trivia contest is
easy. Correctly answer five simple
questions about the current issue,
and you could win a $25 Target
gift card. Turn to page 9 for this
month's questions-and look for
our other contest links each month
online at georgiamagazine.org.
5

http://www.bit.ly/yrofbird18 http://www.bit.ly/trtgm http://www.bit.ly/hm4gm http://www.bit.ly/hm4gm http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - February 2018