Dollar General Stores, They Are Everywhere

Here's a little tidbit you probably didn't know: Dollar General is the largest discount retailer (by number of stores) in the U.S. The money-saving chain has 10,000 neighborhood stores in 40 states. In 2013 alone, the chain plans 635 new stores, 550 relocations and 6000 jobs.

In the Dahlonega/Dawsonville, Ga. metro area, Dollar General has eight stores - count 'em...eight stores in and around Dahlonega and Dawsonville. Who needs to drive to a super big box store when there is a Dollar General literally just around the corner.

And besides bringing variety shopping and low prices to our neighborhoods, these local Dollar General stores mean jobs, and in North Georgia, we need job opportunities.

Another interesting factoid regarding Dollar General (a Southern company based in TN) is that the corporation is a strong proponent of literacy and funds the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. So remember that when you shop at Dollar General, you are not only saving dollars but, in a way, you're helping support adult literacy....and that's a good thing.

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

Moonshine - It's Legal in Georgia

Want to try a little moonshine? Or perhaps see just how White Lightning is made? You can do just that in Dawsonville, Ga., at a legalized moonshine distillery that just happens to be next door to the Dawsonville City Hall. (Yes, I did say NEXT to the City Hall.)

The Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery opened in October 2012, just in time for the annual Dawsonville Moonshine Festival. But it wasn't until December that the distillery received the legal okay to sell the moonshine and to permit the actual onsite sampling of the local white lightning.

However, if you want to buy your own moonshine stash, you'll have to wait in line. The moonshine batches sold out fast, but the distillery is taking orders for its next batch.

Owner Cheryl Wood uses moonshine recipes that go back over 150 years, recipes handed down to her grandfather, Simmie Free. The distillery is a one-still operation with fourth generation distiller Dwight "Punch" Bearden overseeing the moonshine making. The brewery consists of a 250 gallon copper still, a 1,050 gallon and two 415 gallon mash tanks.

Of course, Dawsonville is the perfect spot for a public distillery. After all, the town is the Moonshine Capital of the World. Legend is that the corn farmers in Dawson and neighboring Appalachian mountain communities survived the great depression by making and selling moonshine to city slickers.

The brew was transported to Atlanta across curvy mountain roads and down Georgia Hwy. 9. Federal government revenuers often chased the moonshine drivers down Thunder Road (Hwy. 9), giving birth to a legion of skilled drivers and the start of NASCAR. 

You can tour and taste Dawsonville moonshine every Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. For directions and maybe to put your name on the "I need some moonshine" list, call 770-401-1211 or 706-344-1210.

It's Fall Says Uncle Shuck's!

Before we moved to Dahlonega and Beyond, leaves turning bright orange and red were our signal that fall had arrived. But in our world now, the first real sign of fall is the opening of Uncle Shuck's Corn Maze in Dawsonville.  

Uncle Shuck's, which opened officially on Labor Day, is a green island -  of corn stalk rows, bright colored tents, tractors, horses, kids (lots of kids) and pumpkins, too.

When you leave anywhere near Dawsonville, you can expect to experience traffic backups for miles on 400 and Hwy. 53 as corn shucking, maze loving folks journey to this North Georgia hot spot on fall weekends. (FYI, this popular fun maze is not too far from the corner of Hwy. 400 and Hwy. 53.)

Uncle Shuck's isn't the only place for fall fun up here in Dahlonega and Beyond.

Imagine maneuvering through this maze!

Tourists (and we up here love our tourists) migrate to North Georgia for fall to experience the breath-taking colors, hand-picked apples, fun festivals, palate pleasing wines, and winding mountain trails.

How lucky we are to live here in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and all they offer.

(Photos from Uncle Shuck's.)

It's Back - Dawsonville Pool Room

Bully burgers are back !

Bully Burger lovers rejoice! The Dawsonville Pool Room (DPR) is open again. Closed in the spring by those infernal revenooers, the legendary Pool Room opened its doors on Labor Day Weekend much to the joy of Dawsonvillians and DPR fans worldwide.

On May 9, a force of Georgia state revenooers stormed into the restaurant during a lunch service, grabbed the cash register, ordered patrons out and shut the Pool Room down. Since that date the Pirkle family has worked with the government to regain possession of the restaurant and pay back a tax debt totally almost $40,000.

When word came that the restaurant doors had shuttered, the community rallied in support of Pirkle and the Pool Room, both icons in the county and in NASCAR racing circles. Groups and individuals have thrown fundraisers for the Pirkle family, created a Facebook page (Save the Dawsonville Pool Room) and written letters of support to local newspapers.

Pirkle plans to have an official grand opening in coming weeks. Until then, the Pool Room is open for lunch and dinner. Breakfast will be added later. As for the menu,  have no fear. The menu hasn't changed. Bully Burgers, those classic Pool Room fries, and the yummy daily Meat and Two specials are still available.

Dahlonega and Beyond urges all to journey to the Pool Room and support this historic venue by attending a fundraiser hosted by Save the Pool Room supporters. Two of those fundraisers are planned for coming weeks - Sept. 29 car show at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville and an Oct. 5 Murder Mystery Dinner Theater event at the Peach Brandy Cottage.

Welcome back, Dawsonville Pool Room. We missed you. 

(Bully Burger photo compliments of Foodspotting)

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?)  

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.

Southern Living Recognizes Dahlonega Green Developer and Our Neighborhood

We've always known that our neighborhood Fern Park - located between Dahlonega and Dawsonville, Ga. - was unique, but now Southern Living wants its readers to know just how unique Fern Park is.

In this month's issue of Southern Living, the developer of Fern Park was recognized for her efforts in turning an old family farm into a conservation subdivision. Dana Lachance received Honorable Mention as a 2012 Southern Living Hero of the New South. Dana, long known for her conservation efforts, was sited for creating "an eco-friendly subdivision, proving development doesn’t have to compromise natural resources and landscape."


Being a woman land developer can't be easy, especially if that developer wants to go green. Dana stood by her conservation conscience, and as a result, Fern Park is a beautiful place to live. The heavily-wooded 28-home subdivision has as its centerpiece, a 25 acre conservation area. Here we have a picnic pavilion, an area set aside for a community garden, and the beginning of winding nature trails through our fern-filled woods.

Wild flowers bloom in the park three seasons a year. Children play baseball and soccer or just wander the trails with their dogs. Deer wander in the park at night, and in the summer, a bear sighting or two is not uncommon.

Lumpkin County is filled with great neighborhoods, but none quite like Fern Park. We're delighted that others, including Southern Living, are recognizing the Dana's ecological efforts. Congratulations, Dana LaChance.

Fern Park pavilion at entrance of neighborhood.

One of the walking trails in the conservation neighborhood.

Homes have beautifully 'green' landscapes.

http://www.southernliving.com/travel/1203-heroes-bethea-00417000077371/

Dawsonville Food Lion Saved from Closure

When we heard the announcement that Food Lion was closing 113 stores nationwide, we panicked. Food Lion in Dawsonville is the closest grocery store to our home...just seven miles away. It's where we go for the basics - our bread, milk, cereal, fruits, meat and, yes, even vegetables.

To our delight, Food Lion Dawsonville is not on the grocery chain's hit list of 29 stores closing in Georgia. We can see why corporate saved the Dawsonville Food Lion. The parking lot, while never totally filled, always has a good number of cars; the food selection caters to its clientele; and the manager has created a friendly atmosphere and shopping experience.

When we moved to the Dahlonega and Beyond area almost two years ago, our first shopping trip was to Food Lion. As we were checking out, the clerk says, "Are you new to the area? We haven't seen you before?" And then the conversation began.

Before we walked out of the store, we were warmly welcomed by the clerk and other customers in line, had a long talk with the bag man, and were introduced to the manager. (Now I ask you....have you ever had this type of down-home greeting at Kroger or Walmart?)

Thank you Food Lion for keeping the Dawsonville store open. You made a wise decision.