James July-August 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 43
Gilmer County Unbeknownst to most, Georgia has
Athens The new Classic Center Arena in downtown Athens will be home to the Rock Lobsters, the
state’s newest hockey team, named for the classic
B-52s hit song. But that’s not its only musical tie-in.
The arena will host the Georgia Music Collections
from the University of Georgia Libraries, highlighting
the state’s rich musical history from soul music in
Macon to rock in Athens and hip-hop in Atlanta. All
throughout the arena will be interactive displays and
memorabilia from famous Georgia musicians, honoring the state’s cultural past while hosting some of the
biggest musical acts of the present.
Cartersville Savoy Automobile Museum only
opened its doors in 2021, but already it’s receiving
national acclaim from the car culture community.
The museum took home the number one spot in
the 2024 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards
in the “Best Attraction for Car Lovers” category,
beating out prestigious museums from around the
nation. Savoy’s “ever-changing collections are a key
reason why you’ll want to visit again and again,” says
USA Today, but don’t forget its educational programs,
event spaces or car shows either. If you’re a car lover
and haven’t made it to Cartersville to check out Savoy— put your foot on the gas!
Cedartown In the early 1800s deaf Georgians had very
few options for education. In 1834 Asa Prior, an early
settler of the region and father to five deaf children,
founded Cedar Valley Academy. It was the first
school for deaf students in the state and its success
led to the state legislature modeling the Georgia
School for the Deaf after it in 1846. The Georgia
Historical Society partnered with the Polk County
Historical Society to dedicate a new historical marker
about Cedar Valley Academy in Cedartown, highlighting the impact it made on the evolution of deaf
education in the 19th century.
become the second most prominent state for cryptocurrency mining, behind only Texas. Giant server
farms are used to create Bitcoin and other forms of
cryptocurrency and are often put in rural areas. But
the sites are noisy, provide a major drain on the power grid and create virtually no jobs— and local officials have taken notice. In this north Georgia county,
hundreds of residents came out to a county planning
commission meeting to protest a proposed crypto
mining facility. “It’s the biggest con on the public
ever,” said Cyndie Roberson, cofounder of Gilmer
County Citizens Against Crypto Mining, who was
successful in getting the project cancelled.
Henry County McDonough got the royal treatment
when Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and
Queen Maxima swung through during their visit to
tour the one of the biggest projects in county history.
NewCold, a Dutch-owned shipping and logistics company, constructed the $333 million cold storage facility
to serve as an operating base from which to transport
perishable goods nationwide. The Dutch royals said
their country shares many similarities with the Peach
State as both are important shipping and transportation hubs.
Watkinsville The city of Watkinsville, in Oconee
County, is one of the nation’s 10 “All America Cities,”
a prestigious title handed out by the National Civic
League. At a time when it seems Americans have never
been further apart, Watkinsville has made a concerted
effort to bring its residents together, best exemplified
by the construction of the Miracle League Ball Field and
Playground of Possibilities. Those facilities provide an
inclusive and accessible environment for children of
all abilities, showcasing the efforts of local officials to
build civic bonds between citizens from all corners of
the community. Watkinsville (the only Georgia city to
receive the honor) sent a delegation to Denver, Colorado
to accept the well-deserved reward.
If you’ve got news from your local community
to share with our readers, please email us.
phickey@insideradvantage.com
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