Oconee County, GA Politics

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The funniest moment of the Jim Shearon party for me was when I laughed so hard I cried during the Effie's Club Burlesque routine where Vice President Dick Cheney and President George Bush put on a particularly energetic dance routine which ends with the Veep prematurely shooting the soon-to-be-Ex-President Bush with a shotgun. After Dick nailed Bush and the dancer fell into heap she was pelted with shoes and had the whole audience roaring on a very wet evening and scurrying on the checkerboard dance floor. Keeping in mind this was a very well dressed and somewhat conservative appearing audience, but of course ran the gamut from gay to straight, young to old, black to white to brown, rich to poor, outlandish to invisible, connected to obscure, developer to educator, Republican to Democrat, town to gown, newborn to octagenarian, innocent to guilty. There was a genuine outpouring of grief and frustration and joy and celebration and outrageous laughter all at the shame time. Shoes over...

The launch of the Chinese lanterns unto itself may be the single most profound and accurate religious symbolism of the soul ascendancy I ever have taken part in, and I am far from a Biblical School scholar or Divinity School expert. It just was powerful and these pictures only begin to barely do it justice.

I am biased. I love eating at Zaxby's fast food restaurants with my son after an athletic event at Herman C. Michael or the Oconee Veterans Park. For those who do not know or live outside of Georgia, Zaxby's is a chicken finger fast food place with roots deep in Oconee and Baldwin counties I believe. I first tried their tasty food in the Cornelia-Demorest-Clarkesville area of Habersham County some 10 years back or longer. They had a very shrewd business plan and model to slowly grow and cater to clientele in secondary markets. They went were Chick-Fil-A would not go and sometimes where Hardee's had been. But something has gone wrong in the Zaxby's business model where paying semi-famous people to eat their limited time food products seems to be the rule now instead of careful growth. These days we usually eat at the Taco Stand after coming home from a soccer or basketball game or practice, but there was time where I would grab some fingers or a Zak Snack a couple of ...

Burnell Brown was an activist in Oconee County long before I was even alive . Mr. Brown was in many ways one of the few remaining African-American activists with a one generation removed from slaves. He was much older than Oconee County itself. His parents were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. He saw it all in Watkinsville during our lifetime, from segregation to lynchings to mass murders at the city jail to eventual desegregation and integration of our public and private school. He told me stories of a currently elected Republican official offering him a bribe for "his people's votes." I am sure both Rich Rusk and Bill Yarbrough will be at his 1 pm memorial service tomorrow at Bethel Baptist Church in Watkinsville. I was honored to introduce Mr. Brown to Lt. Governor Mark Taylor at OCAF a few years ago. Please attend his memorial service tomorrow if you can.

I have never experienced the wide array of emotions as I did last night at Ashford Manor Bed and Breakast. The occasion was a white party at Watkinsville landmark to honor the life and times of Jim Shearon, a genius who made everyone around him and those who got to know him much better people. His festive memorial was as unusual as Jim was, who was fondly recalled by his brother Dave as "the blind interior decorator." Among the many places in Watkinsville evolved by Jim and continuing on are Maison Bleu restaurant and Sweet ReTreat in Town Center. It was an amazing display of slides showing the infamous "ass-less" pants he designed for Prince, the many stage and theatrical designs for shows on and off Broadway, the costumes, the clothes, the interiors and so much more. Many people I had not seen in quite some time turned out for the celebration where Mozart and Shakespeare were performed, where burlesque and burning Chinese lamps ascended to the sky in an amazing tr...

MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF WATKINSVILLE December 10, 2008 PRESENT: Mayor Luken, Council members Link, Purcell, Brodrick, Walsh and Walter VISITORS: See attached sheet. QUORUM CHECK: Mayor Luken acknowledges a quorum is present. All speakers are asked to approach the lectern and address Council. CHRISTMAS PARADE AWARDS: Mayor Luken appreciates Maridee Williams organizing and overseeing the Watkinsville Christmas Parade. He explains that he and Maridee discussed a couple of weeks ago that the parade at one point almost dissolved, but thanks to Maridee and The Oconee Enterprise, it has continued. “Maridee has done an incredible job”, he says. Maridee Williams presents the Christmas Parade Awards (See attached list of winners.). MINUTES: Councilwoman Purcell moved and Councilman Link seconded the motion to approve the November 12, 2008 Minutes as presented. Opportunity for discussion. Motion carried unanimously. Councilman Link moved and Councilwoman Purcell se...