During their regular meeting Monday night, the Tallapoosa City Council approved a measure to allow Salem Baptist Church to use the Tallapoosa Community and Cultural Arts Center until their new church, The Refuge, is completed. In return, church members will provide the city with free labor on select projects that remain unfinished in the Arts Center. Pastor John Ellis spoke before the council Monday night and made the proposal on behalf of his congregation. “We’ve grown as a congregation, and we’ve simply run out of room,” he said. Though the church recently purchased 25 acres at the corner of Highway 100 and Jacksonville Road, Ellis said the new church campus isn’t expected to be completed for another year. In the meantime, they’ve already outgrown their current location. “We’re just asking for temporary use of the Cultural Arts Center on Sunday mornings until we can build our building,” Ellis said. Ellis said his congregation has several skilled contractors who can provide the city with free labor to install hardwood, tile, sound equipment, electrical equipment, etc., as well as clean up and paint rooms that are currently out of use. “We’d like to do the things that are needed while we’re there, and we have members who are more than qualified to do these tasks and save the city the cost of labor,” Ellis said. Tallapoosa Mayor William “Pete” Bridges said he agreed that it was a win-win situation and proposed the city approve the agreement with the church on the condition Ellis meet with city representatives by Friday to outline what projects they would do while they are using the space. The council approved the motion unanimously. In other news, the council approved a motion to replace another 1.5 miles of cast iron gas pipelines with modern plastic pipes, as the Public Service Commission requested. For several years now, the city has been replacing between one and two miles of pipeline each year. “This year we’ll be replacing pipe along Alabama Street, Lipham Street and Brock Street, and that will complete our work in the downtown area,” said Tallapoosa City Manager Phillip Eidson. “After that, we will begin to move north on Highway 100.” The council approved a motion to move forward with the pipe replacements on condition the lowest bid is accepted. The city also approved a motion to purchase fire works for the annual Fourth of July celebration at Helton Howland Park. However, they approved a purchase of $7,500 rather than the usual $10,000 purchase. The board also approved a motion that will close the swimming areas of the park at 5 p.m. that day to ensure city and police officials have time to remove all persons from the area before the fireworks are launched that night. City officials also spoke on the issue of community pride during the meeting, expressing a wish for all residents to keep their homes and lawns in good shape. “Haralson County has just joined Keep America Beautiful,” said Eidson, “and we’d like everyone to participate in that by keeping their lawns mowed, picking up litter that falls in their yard, bringing your garbage can back to the house on Friday after the truck comes around on Thursday; and everyone needs to be aware that the city can’t mow in the ditches, so residents need to come all the way to the street when they’re mowing. If everyone participates, it will help keep our town beautiful.” In other business, the city appointed Sue Mews and Carmela Lyons to the Library Board, and Charles Hildabrand and Jaeson Smith to the Tallapoosa Development Authority. The next city council meeting will be at 7 p.m. July 8.

In 1988, I adopted two boys just out of high school. I had married their mother who was a business professional and had stayed single since the children were in diapers. The teenage boys wanted to change their name to Jones. I was thrilled and honored. Tallapoosa attorney, the late Richard D. Allen Jr., did all the paper work for the adoption. David Hunter Jones has given me two terrific granddaughters, Summer and Madison, who are in high school in Cherokee County. McCoie Lee Jones is the father my of my grandsons. Jeremiah and Dylan make me proud of their love for learning. I never got the chance to teach McCoie and David how to fish or throw a ball. They already could do that when we first met. They did help me pull the transmission out of a Corvette one time. I love that they have always called me “dad.” I love my two boys, and they are two of the best friends I’ve ever had. There is one thing that I really love to hear. I can’t hear it too much. I was about 52 years old before I ever heard the words that open the flood gates to my heart. “I love you, Daddy” was uttered by my eldest daughter when she was in diapers. The first time she said it was kind of like fireworks going off and Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra started playing a John Phillip Sousa march. Presley and Callie Jones gave my life so much meaning, and I am so proud of them. They love their dad, they love their mother, they love their Nana, and they truly love the Lord. I can never forget being in the delivery room when they were both born. I can never forget the reality of how much the Lord loves me when I first held Presley about 5 minutes after she was born. She held on to my finger and the bond of father and daughter was forged forever. That night, I stayed in the nursery with her all night long. I watched her sleep and thought about how I wanted her to grow up and get an education and be the kind of person that God wanted her to be. So far, so good after almost 11 years. When Callie came along a couple of years later, she looked at me like “who is this yahoo talking to me?” I stayed in the nursery her first night on Earth. I have found that sometimes I have to wear two different hats. The father hat is the one that says “no, you can’t do that.” Wearing that hat I have to say “yes you WILL clean up your mess!” The father hat that I have to wear is the one where I say “because I’m your father, and I said so.” The dad hat is the other hat. It is the fun hat. “Girls, let’s go bowling,” or “Yes, let’s cook steaks on the grill,” and their favorite thing I say “heck, yes, your dad will buy that for you.” Make no mistake about it, there is a difference in daddyhood and fatherhood. I agree for once with something Jesse Jackson said. He said that anybody can father a child, but to raise a child it takes a real man. My kids have taught me so much about what is truly important. They have given my life structure to what is essential and what isn’t. Going to see them in a church play Sunday is important and I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Everything they have at their school, dad is there. I didn’t have a dad I could count on. I don’t remember getting a birthday card or Christmas card from him, ever. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not singing the blues over it. I had a mother and grandmother plus my Uncle Henry and Aunt Freddie that took up the slack. I also had fatherly guidance from people in our town, like Lee Roy Brooks, Jess Newman, Bud Jones, Herschel Kirkland, Johnny Holcombe and Ray Hitchcock. I thank God for them and their guidance. I strive to be there for my kids for anything. I will protect them as best I can from any harm. Fathers do that. Dads do that. To all the proud papas out there, Happy Father’s Day to each and everyone of you. May your day be filled with Old Spice, an Atlanta Braves cap, new socks and underwear, and a promise of no interruptions of the Nascar race Sunday from Brooklyn, Michigan or the Braves and Giants game Sunday night. Do any of you remember when the NBA season ended in the month of April instead of mid-June? Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and a officer of university development at Kennesaw State University. Comments may be sent to P. O. Box 6, Tallapoosa, GA 30176 or via email at rhubarbjones@aol.com. Previous columns are found at www.tallapoosa-journal.com.

Music played live in the background while 14 vendors sold their goods at Sewell Mill Community & Farmer’s Market, including organic vegetables, honey, and herbs to pizza, barbecue and even bird feeders. “Our mission is to support local farmers, crafters and hobbyists in offering a place to bring their produce and products to the market and to provide a weekly community event,” said co-founder Caron Connelly of Bremen. “The Community and Farmer’s market has been created to provide an economic development tool and community gathering place.” Connelly says the market will be a season-long attraction. “We started on April 11 and will continue each Thursday until Oct. 31, except for the 4th of July,” said Connelly, who is also the Events Manager of Sewell Mill. “All of our visitors are encouraged to patronize downtown Bremen merchants as well. The idea is to keep produce and products local in order to help the local economy. We need more produce vendors as crops reach harvest time this summer and fall. We also want to help fight our serious local obesity problem. If we can bring some fresher, better food into our area, perhaps that will help,” said Connelly. The market’s other co-founder, Cynthia Davis, said, “I think it’s going well. We have high-quality vendors, and visitors are very supportive. As Caron says, we need more produce. Even though we’re in an agricultural area, farmers can learn more about how to capitalize on what they grow; and the market is one good way to do that. We want to grow and groom our participants. We’re here to be new and interesting for our people. Caron and I got started when she asked for my vendor list from a previous attempt to start a farmer’s market. We got together and started our Sewell Mill endeavor.” Exhibiting their vegetables for the first time in Bremen last Thursday, Wendy Crager of Crager Hager Farm in northern Carroll County said, “Bryan Hager and I are married and live on a farm that was started in 1896. We use only materials that are allowed under the National Organic Program.” Greg and Nancy Dennis have been promoting their Prime Burger products from their Ranburne, Ala., farm since the second week of the market. “Prime Burger is meat from the entire cow, thoroughly mixed and ground. We don’t pull out any of the good cuts.” Deborah Presnal of Wadley, Ala., sells “chickens, eggs, fresh produce in season, herbs, breads, jams and jellies and Kombucha Tea, often used for medicinal purposes.” Caroline Bradd touted their wholesale and retail honey, behives, nucs, wax and pollination from Sweetwater Creek Honey Farm near Douglasville. The literature of another honey farm, Blessed Bee & Blue Collar Farms, quoted from Proverbs about their product: “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Food vendors included Double Cakes by Chris of Carrollton, operated by Chris Arrington. George Karaberis, owner Papou’s Pizza of Tallapoosa, gave cooking demonstrations and gave out samples of his creations. Old Smokey’s of Bowdon sold barbecue outside. Hobbyists included Carol Poteet of Po’s Cabin Fever of Buchanan who said, “I’ve been a woodworker nearly all my life. Adirondack lawn chairs made of white pine are our best sellers.” One shopper purchased decorative gourds painted by Cathy Jennings and a birdhouse with a roof made of a car license plate. Caron Connelly’s Creations included antique glassware, bird feeders, plants and herbal remedies. Landscapes and painted bottles were sold by Sarah Carnahan of Carrollton’s Twisted Mood Art Studio; and owner Demetrius Holtzclaw of Mr. D’s Homemade of Buchanan offered home crocheted and knitted items. Other vendors included Wildwood Gifts of Waco by Jessy DeVere and Rachel Stagner; handcrafted goat milk soap and lotion by Down Home Soap Works, owned by Autumn Eidson of Bremen; Katielou Greene of Whitesburg sold varieties of plants from Katielou’s Lillies; the Bremen Junior Woman’s Club sold “That’s My Pan!” kitchen items to help fund the all-abilities Magnolia Playground in Bremen; and Alice Jane Wasdin encouraged support for the Haralson County Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy. Bob Abdich of Carrollton, known as “Island Time Bob” strummed Jimmy Buffet tunes on his guitar during the market and sought membership in the West Georgia Parrott Head Club for Buffet fanatics. For more information about the market, phone 770-843-8021, e-mail mylocalmart@gmail.com, or visit www.mylocalmart.biz.