Oconee County, GA Politics

Oconee County tourism director Peggy Holcomb suffered a fall at her home last night during her recovery from recent back surgery. We wish her a complete recovery from this latest setback, and know she cares more than anyone about tourism in Watkinsville and the rest of Oconee County.

In my continuing attempts at living off part-time employment during the past decades,  I was employed at the Welcome Center for Oconee County as an assistant to the Tourism Director Bonnie Murphy.  This was during the last years of Wendell Dawson as the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners and while the current Oconee County Courthouse was under renovation and most County business was conducted in the Governmental Annex. The Eagle Tavern evolved by getting a computer from Al Cuming's children several years before it was hooked up to the internet  to the former stage coach stop. It has since been maintained as a museum but no longer functions as the office for anyone in particular. The hours and availability of the facility has been a matter of some contention between various factions leading to lots of gnashing of teeth and even some employment actions involving former directors. This former rest stop for travelers from Milledgeville and elsewhere has become somethin...

Just wondering what people would like to learn about Watkinsville's history or just check out some nice houses. How about a pottery tour? Or maybe the restaurants while we still have them? What would you want to learn more about? Please let me know. Would you want to walk or be on bike or have someone lead you in a golf cart while you walk? Would you want to learn about the evolution of places of commerce?

Watkinsville and Oconee County historic sites [Vinnie Williams, Oconee Enterprise, 9/27/07, p. A3] are not drawing tourists because their destruction is being encouraged by those who should be fighting tooth and nail to save these special places. Word gets around quickly and the public wants no part of it. The guilty parties are developers who don’t care and their supporters in the city and county governments. Those folks seemly have no vision of what should be protected, how to do it, and what the public really wants. Are they deaf? The gateway charm at the intersection of Barnett Shoals Road and Main Street in Watkinsville has been replaced by some out-of-scale ‘thing’ which comes close to a spaghetti western stage set. The wonderfully wide sidewalks in downtown Watkinsville have been replaced by parking spaces. Now the sidewalks are so narrow that two people can’t pass each other without turning sideways. Who thought that improvement up? And then, there are those unfortunate t...