Krispy Kreme, Where Are You?

Dear Krispy Kreme,
The news broke this week that Dunkin' Donuts is coming to Dawsonville, Ga., the Moonshine Capital of the World. When that store opens, Dunkin' Donuts will then have two locations near our home - one to the left of us in Dahlonega and one to the right of us in Dawsonville.

But where is Krispy Kreme? Why haven't you ventured beyond metro-Atlanta? Krispy K's are the mouth-melting donut delicacies that we North Georgia folks (in our heart of hearts) truly crave.

Oh, we Southerners love our Krispy K's, especially the originals - the gooey, icing glazed, best eaten 'hot' donuts. Don't know how many times when I worked in Metro Atlanta that I stopped for Krispy Kreme donuts to take into the office, only to arrive with three or four missing and tell-tell icing glaze on the side of my mouth.

On a recent trip to Cleveland, Ga., my heart skipped a few beats, when I spotted a band of high school fund-raisers selling boxes of Krispy Kremes at a highway intersection. Only a strong hand from the car's driver kept me from leaping out and grabbing a dozen or two.

Our love for Krispy Kremes is strong. When a member of our family lived in England, he walked miles to Harrods department store, the only place in London where he could find Southern fried, hot Krispy Kreme donuts.

So Krispy Kreme, hear the plea from thousands of donut loving North Georgians. Please come to the mountains. You've got lots of original glazed fans here.

Sincerely,

A Devoted Krispy Kreme Fan

Dahlonega and Beyond: We're Back!

Dahlonega and Beyond went dark for a couple of months. A number of excuses for the blog silence, such as:

1. We traveled a lot - three weeks in Venice and the Mediterranean and  a couple of trips to NashVegas.
2. A rotten case of bronchitis which dulled the brain and writing creativity
3. A busy work schedule that included lots of copy writing and Internet research, and
4. The Christmas season and all the stress, drama, and shopping that the holidays bring.

You'll note that holiday cooking wasn't one of the list of No-Blog excuses. That's simply because years ago, I gave up serious Christmas season baking and cooking. And with that 'giving up', we find that we don't pack on as many holiday pounds and a lot less time is spent around the stove and kitchen mixer.

After all, Honey Baked ham is a heck of lot better than mine, and when we buy our turkey already baked, there's no fear of finding 'surprise' packages of turkey necks and gizzards inside. (Yes, this happened. Not once but twice in our turkey baking history.)

Now back to the blog, and I do mean Back to the Blog. My new year's resolution is more blogging, more writing that's pity, maybe controversial, and perhaps even enjoyable reading to others outside our immediate family. So, simply put: Dahlonega and Beyond is back!

Eastwood, Timberlake and Dawsonville, Ga.

The trailer is out....the one to promote Trouble with the Curve, the soon to be released movie starring Clint Eastwood and Justin Timberlake and featuring scenes filmed in nearby Dawsonville, Ga.

In Trouble with the Curve, Clint is an aging baseball scout, who with his daughter, played by Amy Adams, comes to Atlanta to scout a promising young pitcher. The movie was filmed throughout Georgia - At the Atlanta Braves' stadium, in Georgia minor league ball parks, in an Athens bar, and in Dawsonville.  

If you look closely in the movie's promo, you can see shots of a motel - the Amicalola Motel, a not-so-upscale motel just outside of downtown Dawsonville. As the trailer flies by, look closely near the end for scenes with Clint, Justin and Amy pictured in front of the motel.

Once you see the trailer (and the motel), bet you can't wait to see the real thing. But wait you will. Trouble with the Curve doesn't hit the theaters until September. (Wonder if they will have a premier showing at Dawsonville's 400 Cinema?)  

Say No to Tim Bowden

No Bowden signs throughout Lumpkin County.

Tim Bowden, who is running for re-election to Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners, District 2, is not a popular man. That is if the signs posted throughout the county recently are indication on his popularity.

Why the Bowden animosity? The primary reason is that he has been the strongest voice on the County Commission against the referendum to vote for Sunday wine and beer sales. Bowden voted at least twice to keep the referendum off the ballot and was the most vocal against proposal.

The overwhelming opinion in the county seems to be that the people want to vote on the issue. It's what the voters in dozens of counties across Georgia have done. But Bowden says No.

His contention, according to his public statements and articles in the Dahlonega Nugget, is that Sunday liquor sales will cause an increase in highway accidents and put a burden on our public service officers. Really, Mr. Bowden?

Fortunately, Bowden has an opponent in the upcoming July 31 election, Carlton Smith, who supports giving the public the right to vote on the referendum. Smith, like others who are running for the commission this year, believes that such an important decision should be up to the people, not by three commissioners.

Dawsonville bids Eastwood, Timberlake Goodbye

Movie Crew Packs Up (Gainesville Times Photo)

After over a week in Dawsonville, Ga., the cast and crew of "Trouble with the Curve" have packed up and moved out...leaving behind a partly remodeled motel and quite a few starstruck people.

The movie's main star and producer, 81 year old Clint Eastwood, wowed the citizenry with his normalness....shopping in the local grocery store, eating at the local restaurants and warmly conversing with locals. In fact, on his last day in town, Clint was spotted in front of a deli on the town square, patiently signing autographs and talking to fans.

Most Dawsonvillians and other star-struck fans who came to town weren't able to meet-on-one with Clint or his co-stars Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman. However, a fortunate few residents actually interacted with the cast and crew. Dawson County Sheriff deputies helped guard the celebrities as part of the movie's security team, and local restaurant servers and caterers provided the food day-after-day. (Rumor has it that on the final day of shooting, the Dawsonville Pool Room served over 200 of their world famous Bully Burgers for the crew's last meal in town.)

D&B weren't able to capture any first-hand pictures or video of the movie's filming. Every time we were in Dawsonville, all we saw was traffic backed up from the movie set. BUT, others were lucky to video the stars on set, filming in front of the Amicalola Lodge, which was renamed the Grey Squirrel Motel for the movie. (Word of caution: These videos aren't quite movie theater ready.)

• Justin Timberlake and Amy Adams Outside of the Grey Squirrel
• Clint Eastwood Goes to Mustang
• Justin Timberlake and His Bodyguard

Clint Eastwood Sightings in Dawsonville

Clint spotted at Food Lion.

Clint Eastwood is here, he's there, he's everywhere (or at least that's how it seems) in little Dawsonville, Ga. Clint is here filming and staring in his latest movie, Trouble with the Curve.  

According to Dawsonville locals, Clint is staying right in the heart of Dawsonville in a trailer/RV parked in a spot behind the Food Lion. D&B (and many others) thought that Clint would stay in Atlanta and make the daily trip to set in Dawsonville. (A number of scenes are being filmed at the Amicolola Lodge, aka motel, in Dawsonville.)

But we were wrong. Clint is right in town. He's been spotted having breakfast at the world famous Dawsonville Pool Room, working out at Bodyplex, and shopping for fresh fruit at the Food Lion. He was even spotted driving thru town on the way to the movie set.

Those who have served him or waited on him report that he's awfully nice and polite. Sure glad Clint is in Dawsonville and not spotlight-seeking Lindsay Lohan.

Clint Eastwood and the Keys to Dawsonville

No keys to Dawsonville for movie stars

The City of Dawsonville is warmly welcoming Clint Eastwood and his fellow movie stars to the small town. In fact, the city fathers even wanted to give the stars of Trouble with the Curve keys to the city.

But, alas, Clint, Justin Timberlake, Amy Adams and John Goodman will probably leave Dawsonville without city keys. The schedule just won't allow time for key presentations.

The presentation had been planned for weeks, according to the Gainesville Times. In an interview with the newspaper, Dawsonville Councilman Calvin Byrd said, "I was talking to one of the crew today and he said he'd still pass the word along that the city wants to do this, but it's not looking too good."  "We're just glad they're here."

Interesting TWTC factoid: One of the 'stars' of the movie is Clint Eastwood's son Scott, who plays a minor league baseball player.