Georgia Magazine - December 2019 - 4

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Comments from our readers * Compiled by Jennifer J. Hewett

Baby Barn did not
disappoint

ISTOCK.COM / GLOBALP

Oh, BABY!

I am always delighted
to receive Georgia
V
Magazine at my home in
Pike County. In particular,
your September 2019
issue offered a detailed
article about the Georgia
Grown Baby Barn during
the Georgia National Fair
in Perry. [See "Oh, baby!"
page 18; bit.ly/ggbb919.]
Never having heard anything about the Baby Barn in its startup last year, I was
delighted to hear of its success and return this season.
Because of your article, I attended the fair this year in hopes of witnessing a live
birth at the Baby Barn. We all know that nature is unpredictable; however, not only did
I see a bull calf being born but also a baby heifer calf! I even suggested a name for the
Holstein heifer calf-Little Georgia-and the crowd voted for it overwhelmingly.
What a highlight this was for me, and I recommend you attend next year if it is
offered again. Who knows? Maybe you will even see Little Georgia in the future at the
Georgia Grown Baby Barn.
-Karen Yates, Williamson
Georgia Grown Baby Barn brings farming to life

'It's a marvelous process to watch an animal
come into this world. The Baby Barn is a
wonderful opportunity to educate people
about what we do and why we do it.'

Veterinarian
VeterinarianBrad
BradHeins,
Heins,right,
right,from
fromthe
theUniversity
Universityofof
Georgia
GeorgiaCollege
CollegeofofVeterinary
VeterinaryMedicine
Medicineand
andaaBaby
Baby
Barn
Barnambassador
ambassadorassist
assistwith
withthe
thedelivery
deliveryofofaacalf.
calf.

- Lee Jones, veterinarian, Georgia Grown Baby Barn

eterinarian
eterinarianLee
LeeJones
Jonesknew
knewthis
thisbirth
birth
would
wouldbe
beunusual,
unusual,but
buthe
hedidn't
didn'texpect
expect
twins.
twins.As
Asthe
theofficial
officialveterinarian
veterinarianfor
forthe
theGeorGeorgia
giaNational
NationalFair's
Fair'sGeorgia
GeorgiaGrown
GrownBaby
BabyBarn,
Barn,Jones
Jones
was
waspoised
poisedtotoassist
assistwith
withthe
thefirst
firstdelivery
deliveryofofthe
the
brand-new
brand-newprogram.
program.He
Hewas
wasininfor
forsome
somesurprises.
surprises.
Besides
Besidesthe
thedelivery
deliveryofoftwo
twohealthy,
healthy,female
female
Holstein
Holsteincalves,
calves,Jones
Joneswas
wasamazed
amazedatatthe
thenumber
numberofof
spectators
spectatorsand
andtheir
theirresponse
responseon
onopening
openingday
dayofofthe
the
Baby
BabyBarn
Barnlast
lastOctober.
October.
"They
"Theyspontaneously
spontaneouslybroke
brokeinto
intoapplause,"
applause,"
Jones
Jonessays.
says."I've
"I'vebeen
beenatatlivestock
livestockbirths
birthson
onfarms
farms
when
whenthe
thedairy
dairyfarmer
farmerand
andI Iwould
wouldtrade
tradehigh-fives,
high-fives,
but
butI've
I'venever
neverheard
heardapplause
applauseatatthe
thebirth
birthofofcalves
calves
before."
before."
The
TheBaby
BabyBarn
Barnisisaaproject
projectofofthe
theGeorgia
GeorgiaDeDepartment
partmentofofAgriculture's
Agriculture'sGeorgia
GeorgiaGrown
Grownprogram.
program.
"The
"Theplan
planwas
wastotoprovide
provideGeorgia
GeorgiaNational
NationalFair
Fair
attendees
attendeesthe
theopportunity
opportunityofofaalifetime
lifetimewith
withaachance
chance
totowitness
witnessaalive
livebirth
birthofofaacalf
calfonce
onceaaday,"
day,"says
says

ANDY HARRISON

By Pamela A. Keene

A newborn calf is nuzzled by its mother
shortly after birth.

18 Georgia Magazine

September 2019

18-21_Baby_Barn_B_0819.indd 18

By H.M.Cauley

he king of instruments" long has been the
nickname for the pipe organ, the majestic music-maker, of which the earliest versions
have been traced to the third century B.C. In more
modern times, organs have been associated with
grand churches and cathedrals, where the ability to
produce dramatic sounds can captivate, inspire and
often awe an audience.
The "king" moniker also stems from organs'
ability to mimic each orchestral member, from highpitched flutes to brassy trumpets to ground-swelling
basses.
While many contemporary organs are now
electronic and digital, a few classic pipe organs still
survive around the state, each with its own story of
how it came to call Georgia home.
In the case of Johns Creek United Methodist Church, the organ's story has its roots in 9/11.
On that day, the morning prayer service at Trinity
Church Wall Street in New York City had just ended
when tragedy struck, and the debris that rained
down on the neighborhood found its way into the
church.
"They were afraid that caustic dust got sucked
up into the organ," says Johns Creek Methodist
organist Jeremy Rush. "That sort of thing is deadly in
a pipe organ because of all the delicate parts. So the
church mothballed it."
In 2007, when Johns Creek Methodist was in the
planning stages for a new building, an organ was on
the drawing board, but after the economic downturn, the $4 million allotted for an instrument was
cut. The church's organist at the time had contacts
who offered options, including refurbished organs.
And at the same time, Trinity Church was looking for
someone to take on its organ, which was languishing
in storage. For $1, Johns Creek Methodist acquired
the 8,000-pipe organ and had it cleaned, installed

Above: Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black
reacts with the crowd observing a calf birth at the Baby
Barn last year. Left: Baby Barn ambassadors help take
care of the calves and other animals during the fair.

www.georgiamagazine.org

8/14/19 11:11 AM

18-21_Baby_Barn_B_0819.indd 19

8/13/19 4:47 PM

Kudos from readers
Georgia's majestic, historic
organs are show-stoppers

COURTESY JOHNS CREEK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The pipes
are calling

ANDY HARRISON

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black.
"Through the hard and tireless work of our
team and partners, we were able to double and
sometimes even triple that opportunity. The enthralled expressions on the faces of both children
and adults as they stood there attentively was all the
evidence we needed to know that the Baby Barn was
a rousing success."
The Baby Barn will be open for its second year
at the 30th annual Georgia National Fair Oct. 3-13 at

I was fascinated by the article "The pipes are
calling" about historic organs. [See August 2019, page
20; bit.ly/pipes819.] The Grace Episcopal Church in
Clarkesville has an antique organ that has been
restored and is still played in the services there.
Please keep the good magazines coming. I look
forward to finding them in my mailbox!
-Virginia Gladden, Demorest

COURTESY RYLANDER THEATRE

I was greatly impressed by the well-written
article "The pipes are calling" and accompanying
pictures in the August edition. I hope that the date of
next year's visit from the Trinity Church Wall Street choir at Johns Creek United Methodist Church will be well-publicized because I'd like to attend. Maybe it should be
listed in your monthly calendar to attract statewide attendance!
-Rebecca Sullivan, Carrollton
Top left: Organist Ken Double says the Fox Theatre's
Mighty Mo is one of the most distinctive instruments in
the theater world-and one of the largest. Left: The 1928
Möller organ at the Rylander Theatre in Americus is one
of only three theater organs in Georgia, along with those
at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and the Grand Theatre in
Fitzgerald.

20 Georgia Magazine

August 2019

20-23_Pipe_Organs_C_0819.indd 20

7/11/19 7:46 AM

I can't wait until next month to see what all you good folks put into the magazine.
Keep up the good work!
-Wayne Toney, via email

Trivia winner!
Thank you so much for the Target gift card that you sent to me for winning the
March 2019 trivia contest. I love to do the trivia questions and read the interesting
articles in Georgia Magazine. Keep up the good work!
-Sandra Moore, Rayle EMC member, Springfield
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.

Georgia Magazine

December 2019

From THE EDITOR
For many people, "The Nutcracker"
is as much a part of their seasonal
celebration as is trimming the tree or
visiting Santa, and it often provides a
child's first exposure to both ballet and
classical music.
Dance companies all over the
country will present their take on
Tchaikovsky's classic ballet this season,
and Georgia is no exception. Read
"A holiday tradition," starting on page
20, to find a performance near you!
While we can't promise a white
Christmas in Georgia this year, our state
will become a winter wonderland this
month as a lineup of holiday happenings gets underway.
See "Keeping Christmas" on page
24 to learn about Yuletide events such
as tree lightings, train excursions,
historic home tours and parades that
are sure to get you and your family into
the spirit of the season.
It's been said that there's no place
like home for the holidays, but Georgia's
Christmas-themed towns, Santa Claus
and Bethlehem, might beg to differ.
Both of these small municipalities
become tourist destinations during
November and December, as people
from all over the state visit in order to
mail their Christmas cards with festive
postmarks.
Turn to page 28 to find out how
"The City That Loves Children" and
"The Little Town Under the Star" keep
Christmas in their hearts all year long.
Finally, we jump ahead to January
as we visit Jekyll Island for a unique
treasure-hunting experience. Starting
New Year's Day and continuing through
February, participants search for clear
plastic globes that they can redeem for
one-of-a-kind, blown-glass floats.
These colorful collectibles mimic
the glass floats formerly used on fishermen's nets but are actually studiocreated works of art. See page 16 for all
the details.
Enjoy!

Laurel George
Editor

http://www.bit.ly/ggbb919 http://www.bit.ly/pipes819 http://WWW.MICHAELBOATRIGHT.COM

Georgia Magazine - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - December 2019