Lumpkinites. Don't Complain. Solve a Problem.

Use Your Brain. Don't Complain.

People in Lumpkin County are quick to complain. “Taxes are too high.” “Taxes are too low.” “We need to recycle more.” “Why aren’t we bringing more industry to the area.” “Our commissioners just aren’t doing enough.” And the list of complaints goes on and on.

For the county’s critics, the time has come to be proactive, to actually help solve a problem. All they have to do is take part in the Problem Solving Competition sponsored by the Lumpkin Literacy and BBandT.

Participants will be divided into teams. Each team will then work on a major issue that Lumpkin faces and asked to come up with a solution. We won’t learn what the issue is until the start of the competition, but word is the problem is a tough one that people in Lumpkin have been trying to solve for decades.

John Gerheim, the event organizer, told me that so far he’s disappointed in the number of people who have signed up for the solving competition. Guess for too many people, it’s just easier to complain about a problem than to do something about it. 

It’s not too late to take the initiative. John is waiting by his phone –706-429-4132  for some problem solvers to contact him. The competition starts at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, May 11 at the Lumpkin Parks and Recreation Center in Dahlonega.

Lessons Learned at Lumpkin Learning Summit

Literacy (or the lack of) is a problem in Lumpkin. That's what we learned at the Adult Learning in Lumpkin (ALL) Summit here in Dahlonega on Oct. 10.

Over 100 people - judges, county commissioners, state representatives, Lumpkin and NGCSU educational leaders and other area dignitaries - attended the half day summit presented by State Senator Steve Gooch.

One of the highlights of the event (besides a keynote address from Georgia's First Lady Sandra Deal) was a panel of leaders talking about literacy and how we (the county and state) are tackling the issue. Here's what we learned from the panelists:

Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard - Not being able to read is a problem with inmates. The jail had to video tape the reading of the Do and Don't jail handbook because so many inmates couldn't read it. The Sheriff's department strongly supports the GED program, offering GED classes for jail inmates."We have had 50 to 60 graduates from our GED program." Sheriff Jarrard sees that education is key to lowering the crime rate, and he needs volunteers for the GED program.

Dr. Bonita Jacobs, President of NGCSU - With the upcoming consolidation (NGCSU and Gainesville College), the soon-to-be University of North Georgia can create multiple paths for people to work for advanced degrees. "I long for the day," she emphasized, "when we are bringing in more businesses so that our graduates who want to stay here can."

Tricia Pridemore, Executive Director, Governor's Office of Workforce Development - "The most frequently asked question when businesses look to Georgia," said Ms. Pridemore, "is 'Can the work force do the job?'" Businesses want to know what it will take to train people for their jobs, she added. (Oh by the way, did you know that Georgia is the 33rd largest economy in the world?)
 
Roger Yonts, HR Director, Koyo Bearings - According to Yonts, when the large Lumpkin employer Koyo hires, they first look at the applicants' education qualifications because "Education is critical...everything our employees do is based on their being able to read." Yonts also confirmed what we already new job competition is fierce in Lumpkin. At a recent job fair, 400 applicants applied for 45 openings at the Dahlonega Koyo plant.

Dewey Moye, Lumpkin County Superintendent of Schools - The Lumpkin school system is committed to a 100 percent graduation rate and for students to be on level at the third grade. The school system is also pushing parental involvement, especially in the high school years. The goal, Moye stressed, is to get each parent on the high school campus at least once.

In summary, at the we learned that the more educated the community, the more appealing the community. Education is the only way we can be successful.

It's a Bee-utiful Life

Yes, life in Dahlonega and Beyond if bee-utiful. In fact, because of all the buzz in the air, this author hasn't had much blog posting time.

Why, no blogging you ask? Well, this is D's first year as a board member of Lumpkin County Literacy Coalition (LCLC), a non-profit devoted to improving the literacy rates in our area and to improving people's reading skills. As LCLC Awareness Chairperson, D's role is to promote our organization and, of course, to 'Bee Cool."

That's just what we have been doing. Instead of blogging, we've bee-come bee-centered, working hard to create a bee buzz, and spreading the honey on thick to promote the Lumpkin Literacy's Annual Adult Spelling Bee. (Yes, that sentence isn't exactly English teacher worthy.)

The Bee, one of LCLC's major fundraisers, is Sept. 11, at the Holly Theater in Dahlonega, at 7 p.m. It's is such a fun night. Adults in teams of three attempt to spell such challenging words as chimerical and farraginous. Go ahead. Admit it. You could correctly spell these without any trouble, right? We will be the first to admit, neither of these words appear in our vocabulary often. But then, a lot of words on last year's list that aren't exactly every day words for we Lumpkinites.

Oh, and if you would LOVE to attend this year's Spelling Bee, we've got tickets to sell. Just $10 each!

Potato Chips in a Pie? Oh yeah!

Lay's Wavy Potato Chips and Ghirardelli chocolate in the same recipe? You know that combination is going to be a winner...and that's just what the Sweet and Salty Chocolate Pie was.

Baked to perfection by Christopher A. Taylor, the melt-in-your mouth combination of potato chips and bittersweet chocolate took first prize recently in the Lumpkin County Pie Squared Event sponsored by Lumpkin Literacy.

I'd show you a picture of that yummy pie, but by the time I got to taste a sample, the pie plate was empty. But I did get the recipe!

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Pie

by Christopher A. Taylor (Atlanta, GA)

Crust and Topping

6 oz Ghirardelli Bittersweet (60%) Chocolate

10 oz potato chips (I prefer Wavy Lays, but Ruffles work, too)

Filling

4 oz Ghirardelli Bittersweet (60%) Chocolate

4 oz Ghirardelli Extra Bittersweet (70%) Chocolate

3 eggs

5-1/4 oz (3/4 cup) sugar

2 tbsp water

1 cup heavy cream (I prefer 40% pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized)

Garnish

1 tbsp large flake sea salt (I prefer Maldon sea salt flakes)

1 cup chocolate curls

Directions

From the potato chips, select and set aside about 12–15 whole chips to use as the garnish.  

Crush half of the the remaining chips.  The baker prefers to place the chips in a sealed Ziploc-type bag and lightly beat the bag with a rolling pin. You don’t want the chips to turn to dust. Stop bashing the chips when they are about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch in size. Empty the chip pieces into a bowl.

Melt the 6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate in the microwave (stirring every 20 seconds) until it is completely melted.

Add the melted chocolate to the chip pieces a spoonful at a time and stir the chips and chocolate after each addition. Stop adding chocolate when the chips are thoroughly coated and the mixture begins to hold together when lightly smooshed into the side of the bowl.

Pat the chocolate-chip mixture evenly into a 10-inch pie plate. Make sure the mixture is even across the bottom and up the sides. The mixture will be thickest where the bottom of the pan meets the sides. Press into this area with your thumb to thin out and push the mixture up the sides. The edges of the crust may seem ragged, but we’ll cover them up with the chips later.

Place the crust into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set before you begin preparing the filling. Dip the remaining whole potato chips into the remaining melted chocolate, gently shaking off any extra chocolate. Place the dipped chips on a sheet of wax paper to set at room temperature.

For the filling, chop both chocolates and melt in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until melted.  Set aside.

For the filling, heat a 1/2-inch of water in a sauce pan until simmering. Combine the eggs, sugar, and water in a small bowl.  Place the bowl over the simmering water ensuring that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the egg mixture over the simmering water until the mixture is thick and fluffy and temperature reaches 160˚F, 5–10 minutes.

When the mixture reaches temperature, remove the bowl from the heated water and continue to beat the egg mixture until it reaches warm temperature, about 5–10 minutes more.

Once the mixture is cool, add the melted chocolate and stir until combine. Whip the heavy cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula or whisk (I prefer a whisk) until no streaks remain.

Add the filling to the crust and smooth. Immediately place the chocolate-dipped potato chips into the filling along the crust of the pie allowing the chip to curve over the edge of the pan.

Allow the pie to set in the fridge for several hours. Sprinkle the salt and chocolate curls evenly over the top of the pie before serving. (Adding the salt earlier risks it dissolving into the filling.)

Slice a piece and enjoy that yummy combination of sweet and salt!

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