Evelyn Loudermilk Batson, age 92, of Cleveland, passed away on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
Born on March 27, 1930, in Chamblee, she was the daughter of the late William Cannon Loudermilk and Velma Holt Loudermilk. Mrs. Batson was a homemaker and a loving mother and grandmother. She was a very active member of New Hope Baptist Church and taught Sunday School for the primary students for many years.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Phillip Eugene “Gene” Batson, Sr.; son, Phillip Eugene Batson, Jr.; daughter, Vicky Batson Hicks; and nine brothers and sisters.
Survivors include daughter Cecilia Batson Rosenkrans of Cleveland; eight grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brothers Billy Ray Loudermilk and James Loudermilk; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Private services will be held with Rev. Robert Nix officiating.
Lee Morrow Byrd, age 82, of Charlotte, North Carolina, entered rest Monday, December 5, 2022, at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville.
Lee was born October 31, 1940, to the late Howard Sr. & Harriett Meyers Morrow. She loved going to the beach spending time with family & friends. She thoroughly enjoyed sending birthday cards to people, cheering them up on their birthdays. She will be missed by all who knew her. She was a homemaker and a member of the Sardis Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Ted Potzner, and her second husband, William Byrd.
Left to cherish memories, sons Mark (Cheryl) Potzner & Bryan (Elisha) Potzner; grandchildren Emma, Hunter, Rett, Kasey & Chris; brother Curtis Treloar; a number of other relatives also survive.
A celebration of life service will be held at Sardis Presbyterian Church in Charlotte at a time to be announced in the future.
You may sign the online guestbook or leave a condolence at www.wardsfh.com.
Ward’s Funeral Home of Gainesville is honored to serve the family of Lee Morrow Byrd.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, talk to reporters at the U.S. Capitol the morning after Sen. Raphael Warnock won the Georgia Senate runoff. (Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON (GA Recorder) — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer jubilantly announced Wednesday that the Georgia runoff election victory will next year end an evenly divided U.S. Senate, giving Democrats more subpoena power in committees and a quicker turnaround in approving federal and judicial appointments.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, congratulated Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock for winning a full six-year term in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff election Tuesday night against Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
“This outcome is absolutely worth the wait after one year, 10 months and 17 days of the longest 50-50 Senate in history,” Schumer said. “Fifty-one, a slim majority, that is great, and we are so happy about it.”
The last win in the 2022 midterm elections gives Senate Democrats a true majority for the next Congress and won’t require a power-sharing agreement with Republicans.
Schumer said that Democrats can now “breathe a sigh of relief” and that judicial nominees will be confirmed more quickly rather than having nominations stalled in a split U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. On rare occasions, Vice President Kamala Harris has had to make trips to the Senate to cast a tiebreaker floor vote.
“We are so proud of our record with judges,” Schumer said. “It’s one of the most significant things … we’ve done.”
Of those confirmed, two-thirds are women, half are people of color, and “there are more Black women on the federal bench now … (than) before Biden became president,” Schumer said.
“The bench is looking more like America now,” Schumer said.
The Manchin factor
The 51-seat majority also allows Democrats to afford to lose one vote, particularly from Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, who has had significant power in scaling back legislative priorities such as striking down an expansion to the Child Tax Credit that helped lift millions of children out of poverty, and opposition to major climate change policy.
Schumer added that committees will not be deadlocked anymore, usually 10 to 10, and in the next Congress, those committees will be able to successfully vote to issue subpoenas, for not just requesting information from the Biden administration but from corporations too.
“That’s all going to change because we’ll have the advantage on every committee,” Schumer said.
However, Republicans are set to take control of the House come January, and Senate Democrats still need to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold, so passing any legislation in a divided government will be difficult.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, chair of the party’s Senate campaign arm — the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — joined Schumer during Wednesday’s press conference. Peters said Warnock was an exceptional candidate, touting his work in the Senate.
“Now that he’s coming back for six years, you can just imagine what he’ll do for the next six years,” Peters said.
Warnock and Ossoff
Warnock ran in 2020 to finish the rest of the two-year term of former Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who retired due to health concerns. Warnock, along with Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, both competed in runoff elections in 2021, becoming Georgia’s first Black and Jewish senators and giving Democrats control of the Senate.
Ossoff said he is looking forward to continuing working alongside Warnock.
“It is a pleasure and a privilege to deliver for the state of Georgia every day alongside my colleague Sen. Warnock in Congress, and I am looking forward to continuing to do so,” he told reporters.
The chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, said in a statement that Walker’s campaign inspired millions of Georgians.
By early Wednesday, Warnock had about 51.3% of the vote, edging out Walker by about 90,000 votes, according to unofficial results.
“While Herschel came up short last night, I know he will continue to be a leader in our party for years to come,” Scott said.
In a concession speech Tuesday night, Walker thanked all of his supporters and urged them to “continue to believe in the Constitution and believe in our elected officials.”
“One of the things I want to tell all of you is you never stop dreaming,” he said. “Most of all, continue to pray for them because of all the prayers you’ve given me, I felt those prayers.”
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Atlanta. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a runoff election in Georgia. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Georgia runoff election Tuesday, ensuring Democrats an outright majority in the Senate for the rest of President Joe Biden’s current term and capping an underwhelming midterm cycle for the GOP in the last major vote of the year.
With Warnock’s second runoff victory in as many years, Democrats will have a 51-49 Senate majority, gaining a seat from the current 50-50 split with John Fetterman’s victory in Pennsylvania. There will be divided government, however, with Republicans having narrowly flipped House control.
“After a hard-fought campaign — or, should I say, campaigns — it is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy: The people have spoken,” Warnock, 53, told jubilant supporters who packed a downtown Atlanta hotel ballroom.
“I often say that a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children,” declared Warnock, a Baptist pastor and his state’s first Black senator. “Georgia, you have been praying with your lips and your legs, your hands and your feet, your heads and your hearts. You have put in the hard work, and here we are standing together.”
In last month’s election, Warnock led Walker by 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million cast, but fell short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. The senator appeared to be headed for a wider final margin in Tuesday’s runoff, with Walker, a football legend at the University of Georgia and in the NFL, unable to overcome a bevy of damaging allegations, including claims that he paid for two former girlfriends’ abortions despite supporting a national ban on the procedure.
“The numbers look like they’re not going to add up,” Walker, an ally and friend of former President Donald Trump, told supporters late Tuesday at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta. “There’s no excuses in life, and I’m not going to make any excuses now because we put up one heck of a fight.”
Democrats’ Georgia victory solidifies the state’s place as a Deep South battleground two years after Warnock and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff won 2021 runoffs that gave the party Senate control just months after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate in 30 years to win Georgia. Voters returned Warnock to the Senate in the same cycle they reelected Republican Gov. Brian Kemp by a comfortable margin and chose an all-GOP slate of statewide constitutional officers.
Walker’s defeat bookends the GOP’s struggles this year to win with flawed candidates cast from Trump’s mold, a blow to the former president as he builds his third White House bid ahead of 2024.
Democrats’ new outright majority in the Senate means the party will no longer have to negotiate a power-sharing deal with Republicans and won’t have to rely on Vice President Kamala Harris to break as many tie votes.
National Democrats celebrated Tuesday, with Biden tweeting a photo of his congratulatory phone call to the senator. “Georgia voters stood up for our democracy, rejected Ultra MAGAism, and … sent a good man back to the Senate,” Biden tweeted, referencing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
About 1.9 million runoff votes were cast in Georgia by mail and during early voting. A robust Election Day turnout added about 1.4 million more, slightly more than the Election Day totals in November and in 2020.
Total turnout still trailed the 2021 runoff turnout of about 4.5 million. Voting rights groups pointed to changes made by state lawmakers after the 2020 election that shortened the period for runoffs, from nine weeks to four, as a reason for the decline in early and mail voting.
Warnock emphasized his willingness to work across the aisle and his personal values, buoyed by his status as senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.
Republican Senate challenger Herschel Walker speaks during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Atlanta. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has defeated Walker in a runoff election in Georgia. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Walker benefited during the campaign from nearly unmatched name recognition from his football career, yet was dogged by questions about his fitness for office.
A multimillionaire businessman, Walker faced questions about his past, including his exaggerations of his business achievements, academic credentials and philanthropic activities.
In his personal life, Walker faced new attention on his ex-wife’s previous accounts of domestic violence, including details that he once held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. He has never denied those specifics and wrote of his violent tendencies in a 2008 memoir that attributed the behavior to mental illness.
As a candidate, he sometimes mangled policy discussions, attributing the climate crisis to China’s “bad air” overtaking “good air” from the United States and arguing that diabetics could manage their health by “eating right,” a practice that isn’t enough for insulin-dependent diabetic patients.
On Tuesday, Atlanta voter Tom Callaway praised the Republican Party’s strength in Georgia and said he’d supported Kemp in the opening round of voting. But he said he cast his ballot for Warnock because he didn’t think “Herschel Walker has the credentials to be a senator.”
“I didn’t believe he had a statement of what he really believed in or had a campaign that made sense,” Callaway said.
Walker, meanwhile, sought to portray Warnock as a yes-man for Biden. He sometimes made the attack in especially personal terms, accusing Warnock of “being on his knees, begging” at the White House — a searing charge for a Black challenger to level against a Black senator about his relationship with a white president.
Warnock promoted his Senate accomplishments, touting a provision he sponsored to cap insulin costs for Medicare patients. He hailed deals on infrastructure and maternal health care forged with Republican senators, mentioning those GOP colleagues more than he did Biden or other Washington Democrats.
Warnock distanced himself from Biden, whose approval ratings have lagged as inflation remains high. After the general election, Biden promised to help Warnock in any way he could, even if it meant staying away from Georgia. Bypassing the president, Warnock decided instead to campaign with former President Barack Obama in the days before the runoff election.
Walker, meanwhile, avoided campaigning with Trump until the campaign’s final day, when the pair conducted a conference call Monday with supporters.
Walker joins failed Senate nominees Dr. Mehmet Oz of Pennsylvania, Blake Masters of Arizona, Adam Laxalt of Nevada and Don Bolduc of New Hampshire as Trump loyalists who ultimately lost races that Republicans once thought they would — or at least could — win.
___
Associated Press writers Christina A. Cassidy and Ron Harris contributed to this report.
A voter exits the Habersham South Precinct in Cornelia on election day Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Habersham Countians voted overwhelmingly in favor of Republican Herschel Walker in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff.
According to the unofficial results released Tuesday by the Habersham County Elections Office, Walker defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock by nearly a 5 to 1 margin.
Walker received 12,662 votes (82%) to Warnock’s 2,714 votes (18%).
Election day turnout in the county was heavy, with over 5,000 of Habersham’s 28,538 active registered voters casting ballots. Total turnout, including election day and early voting, was 53.91%.
Gainesville’s first-year head coach Josh Niblett has validated the hype of his seven state titles won in Alabama by coaching the Red Elephants into the finals for the first time in 10 years.
On Friday, Gainesville takes on Hughes in the 6A final round of the GHSA State Playoffs. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on December 9 at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta.
Records, rankings: Gainesville is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 8-6A and No. 4; Hughes is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from 5-6A and No. 1.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: Gainesville was 5-5 last season in Class 7A but is one victory from its first state title since 2012 and first undefeated, untied season since 1925. First-year starting QB Baxter Wright has thrown for 3,152 yards and 38 touchdowns. Naim Cheeks has 2,316 yards from scrimmage, 1,775 rushing, and scored 23 touchdowns. Leading tackler Jeremiah Telander, a linebacker committed to Tennessee, is the team’s only major Power 5-conference commit.
Hughes has a trove of committed D-I talent that includes DB Terrance Love (Auburn), DL Josh Horton (Miami), OL Bo Hughley (Georgia) and TE Jelani Thurman (Ohio State). Hughes has two 1,000-yard rushers (Jekail Middlebrook and Justus Savage) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Jaden Barnes). Prentiss “Air” Noland has thrown for 3,832 yards. His 52 TD passes are four short of the state record set by Macon County’s K’Hari Lane in 2016.
The Panthers need two points to break the state record for points in a season set by Rome with 758 in 2017. They can become the first team in GHSA history to score at least 40 points in every game, and they can become the second, after Valdosta in 1971, to beat every opponent by more than 20 points.
Hughes, a south Fulton County school that opened in 2009, was the 2021 runner-up to Buford. The Panthers have been ranked No. 1 since preseason. They’ve never won a state title.
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William Virgil “Bill” Tranum, age 80, of Clarkesville, Georgia, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, December 05, 2022, at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 18, 1942, he was a son of the late Irby, Sr. & Ellen Jones Tranum. Bill served his country proudly in the United States Army National Guard with six years of dedicated service. Before retirement, he was the owner/operator of Draftec Steel for over 18 years. In his spare time, Bill enjoyed traveling, photography, music, singing, and playing the piano. He was a faithful member of Hills Crossing Baptist Church in Clarkesville, where he was a part of the Joyful Noise Sunday School Class as well as various church activities.
In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his daughter, Rebecca Dionne Tranum; sister, Mary Ann Tranum; as well as his brothers, Irby Tranum, Jr. & Wallace Tranum.
Survivors include his loving wife of 42 ½ years, Pat White Tranum of Clarkesville, GA; daughter, Leticia Tranum of Anniston, AL; granddaughter, MiKinzi Doris Edwards of Anniston, AL; as well as other relatives and friends who were like family.
Funeral services are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Friday, December 09, 2022, at Hills Crossing Baptist Church, with Pastor David Stancil officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery, with Rev. Walter Singletary officiating at the graveside. Military Honors will be provided by the Grant Reeves Honor Guard.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Friday, December 09, 2022.
Flowers are accepted or the family respectfully requests that all memorials be made in memory of “Bill Tranum” to Hills Crossing Baptist Church, Building Fund, P.O. Box 1142, Clarkesville, GA. 30523
There are many shortcomings I possess, which I admit are my fault. I talk too much, and I overdo and underthink most of the time. I don’t clean under the sofa often and don’t turn off the lights as I should. There are many more flaws, but the editors only give me so much room in the newspaper.
However, two of my shortcomings are not my fault; I inherited them from my ancestors. If my family’s DNA were tediously sifted through, scientists would find a lineage of stubbornness and competitiveness stronger than any physical trait yet seen in laboratory testing.
My great-grandmother, Mollie Sparks, was known to be the most willful woman born in the hills of Tennessee. She could put her foot down like no one else. If an earthquake shook the world, her size four shoe was not moving off the ground.
My father and I would snicker when my mother would declare, “Grandmother Sparks was the most stubborn woman I ever knew!”
We laughed because mama was exactly like her grandmother, except she wore a size eight shoe. Mama also exhibited an added dose of competitiveness, inherited from Mollie’s daughter, my grandmother, whom we called Grandpa.
Many competitive and gifted famous folks are in the academic and sports worlds. International Academic Members and Hall of Famers would squirm in their competing seats if they faced the lady known as Grandpa.
She was a skilled Scrabble player, but she either threw away the rules or lost them at some point. We all learned to play Scrabble by Grandpa’s Rules. It never occurred to us that there was another way to play. And, Lord knows, if we had known there was another way to play, we would not have told Miss Also Stubborn Grandpa about it. She might have thrown her size seven shoe at us!
Once, when I was on a trip with three friends, we found a Scrabble board in the house we rented, and we decided to sit down for a friendly game.
After a few minutes, Michele asked, “What kind of Scrabble are you playing, Lynn? This is sure different from how I learned to play!”
“Well, the only way to play Scrabble is to use Grandpa’s rules!” I responded.
I am unsure how I convinced three others to play the same way, but I did. I think you see the stubborn gene didn’t fall far from the heritage tree, right?
Whether we played Scrabble, Rook, or Sorry with Grandpa, she played with a fierceness that would make Tiger Woods weary. She could out fish anyone and outsmart most of us, and she would never forfeit a game to a beloved five-year-old to be nice. No, she was going to teach us that those who win, win fair and square.
We all inherited her competitive nature and loved a good challenge. Mama became a champion golfer after playing for only three years. She also could trump anyone in a Bridge game (though she was not likely to beat Grandpa at Rook). I couldn’t match either one’s abilities, but I did learn a far more valuable lesson by observing these priceless women.
Watching their skill and determination, as well as their stubborn and competitive natures, convinced me I could achieve almost anything if I put my size six shoe down.
All who know me know I am stubborn and competitive. I once apologized for these characteristics, but now, I simply say, “It’s not my fault!”
And truth be told, I am not sorry. I am filled with gratitude for these exceptional women who believed they could accomplish anything if they worked hard enough. They never once assumed they couldn’t win a game, couldn’t handle a problem, or couldn’t achieve a goal.
Every night, after Grandpa had caught all the fish for the day, hoed in her garden, cooked three square meals for the family, and beat us all in a final game of Sorry, she sat alone to read her Bible before going to bed.
“Grandpa, how many times have you read the entire Good Book?” I asked her one time.
“Well, shoot, I reckon, dozens,” she declared without any fanfare.
“What have you learned?” I questioned.
“Well, I reckon I learned how to live. I learned I could handle any ole’ problem, achieve almost anything I set my mind to, and I would win if I only believed. My mama taught me the Bible held all the answers, so I just keep on looking for ’em.”
Sometimes the answers to the questions on how to play the game of life are not so far away. They are given to us by those who walked in extraordinary shoes before us, and the Good Book still shows us how to play by the rules.
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Lynn Walker Gendusa is a writer in Georgia and the author of the new book “Southern Comfort.” Read more of her work here.
Hall County sheriff’s investigators continue to look into a Friday evening incident at Cherokee Bluff High School where two handguns were discovered during a basketball game on the school campus.
School officials received a tip about the weapons and notified the school resource officer. The SRO found the weapons inside a book bag in a common area of a locker room and contacted investigators.
“So far, investigators have identified one juvenile suspect in the case. At this point in the investigation, there is no evidence that the guns were brought to campus to threaten any particular group or individual,” says Hall County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer B.J. Williams.
The Hall County School District publicly thanked those who notified law enforcement for “having the courage to speak up.”
“The situation was immediately turned over to law enforcement. An investigation is currently underway, and those involved are not allowed on any Hall County School District campus,” says Hall County Schools spokesperson Stan Lewis. “This is a serious violation of Georgia law and the HCSD student code of conduct, and the district will respond accordingly.”
Lewis says campus safety is the district’s “most important responsibility” and adds this case highlights the importance of practicing ‘If you see something, say something.’
“This concern was immediately shared with school officials,” he says. “We would like to thank the Hall County community for having the courage to speak up in such a serious situation.”
Williams says the investigation is ongoing. The sheriff’s office encourages anyone with information to contact investigators at 770-536-8812.
Mt. Airy residents will pay more for water and garbage services next year. The town council on Monday voted to raise the base water rate by $3 per month and increase garbage fees by $3 per can.
Before the vote, Mt. Airy Town Clerk Sheri Berrong pointed out the town has not raised water rates since 2018. Mayor Ray McAllister stated that the council and staff looked at water rates last year, and it was costing more to make water than what the town was selling it for to its customers.
The town’s garbage collection costs have also risen, according to the council. Mt. Airy’s current provider, Waste Management, informed the town it was going up on its rates. Previously, they were charging the town $11.50 per can. The town bid out the service and the low bidder was FCS Sanitation of Toccoa, GA. The bid was $14.00 per can. One unnamed bidder quoted $21 a can. Berrong reminded the council that the town also incurs costs due to staff maintaining the trash cans.
Following the discussion, council member Patrick Ledford made a motion to increase the rates for both water and garbage. Councilmember Ken Moore seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0.
The move will raise Mt. Airy’s base water rate to $20 per month for customers living inside city limits and $33 a month for those living outside city limits. The base garbage rate will increase from $15 per month to $18 per customer.
The increases go into effect on January 1. A notice will be provided with customers’ December bills.
The Mt. Airy Council also voted unanimously to proceed with road repairs on Wood Springs Drive. According to Mayor McAllister, the road is cracked pretty badly and has grass growing through it. They have been building houses on that road and only have a couple of lots left to build. The town delayed paving the road until the developers were done building.
Berrong gave the council a rough estimate of $20,000 to complete the roadwork. She reminded the council that the contractor has not inspected the road and it could cost more depending on the condition of the road base.
The council voted to move forward with the project using Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation. Moore made the motion, and councilmember Adam Tullis seconded it. The vote was 4-0. Councilmember Chris Greene was absent.
There are more tree farms than you might think within easy driving distance of Northeast Georgia. The Kinsey Family Farm in Hall County is one of them. (Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)
It was always, somehow, the coldest morning of the year when my dad would wake my brother and me, herd us into the beat-up old farm truck, and point the nose of that pumpkin-orange IH 1210 towards Mount Rainier. The mountain was visible from our front door as a hunched, white-capped giant guarding over the foothills landscape in the predawn darkness.
Those yearly trips into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, where we would hike – permit in hand – through the woods in our early-Christmas-gift REI boots, munching on trail mix and arguing over the merits of each tree, formed my lifelong love of this Christmas tradition. Watching my father carefully dig up the chosen tree, wrapping the root ball in a burlap feed sack before my brother and I fulfilled our part of the chore and carried the tree between us back to the truck forever made the thought of an artificial tree impossible to contemplate, even when, later in life, the simplicity of those some-assembly-required Tannenbaums would have been a much easier – and cheaper – option.
And I can truly say it is only when the scent of tree sap and crushed needles hits my senses on the way home from picking a tree – whether it is at a nearby forest, a tree farm, or a local tree lot – that it truly begins to feel a lot like Christmas.
Each year, when the excitement of Christmas had passed and preparations for the New Year were underway, my dad, brother, and I would take the tree under mom’s watchful eye and plant it along the strip of woods between our yard and the front pasture. During a trip to the old homestead a couple of years ago, it was a thrill to see those trees were still there … although it did make me feel rather old to see that many of them were now four to five times as tall as the old house.
After much debate between my brother and me during each year’s hike, we inevitably picked either a Grand fir (usually when I got my way) or the Noble fir (when my brother got his way). The Grand fir, one of Washington’s four native firs, was my favorite, partly because the needles were, to my mind, a prettier, brighter shade of green than the Noble fir, and the needles were flat and rounded. They were also less pointy than the hockey-stick curved needles of the Noble fir, which made the Grand much more pleasant to carry and decorate. Since I had a bad-girl habit (at least according to my mom) of sneaking into the living room and falling asleep under the tree, watching the twinkling lights and the fire in the nearby fireplace, the softness of the needles was a key factor for me.
(Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)
The Noble fir, however, did have stronger branches, which meant we could pile on the ornaments! Both trees have a distinctive, strong, resiny, Christmassy smell, though the Grand’s scent also carried a slight citrus note. Since moving away from the Pacific Northwest, I have missed the attributes of these two firs and the memories associated with them. Frasier firs are fine trees, but for this PNW girl, they have just never made the grade. So when I found out, while researching area Christmas tree farms for this article, that there was a Northeast Georgia tree farm that imported fresh-cut trees from the Pacific Northwest, I knew I had to make the drive to the Kinsey Family Farm northwest of Gainesville.
The farm, a full-feature nursery, garden décor, and harvest store as well as a pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm, is an expansive, 50+ acre spread, nicely set up for a large influx of customers with plentiful parking, some cute farm animals nearby for the kiddos, and what is possibly the largest area selection of Christmas trees, along with beautiful fresh swags and wreaths. And just as importantly, their staff members are not only very helpful and friendly but are quite knowledgeable and happy to help with your selection of just the right tree for your family.
Kinsey Farm sells a variety of choose-and-cut and pre-cut trees. (Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)Kinsey Farm also sells Christmas trees that are ‘balled and bagged’ for replanting after the holidays. (Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)The Kinsey Family Farm in Hall County also features a harvest store. (Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)
Kinsey Family Farm tree prices were on the upper end of the scale, but the availability of live, you-cut, fresh-cut, and pre-cut trees and the wide selection of tree types, all of which were of excellent quality – healthy, full, and judiciously trimmed – justified the price range. The large section of more reasonably-priced pre-cut trees is good for those with a more conservative budget than those seeking fresh-cut or live root trees. And one of my favorite sections of the large tree barn was what they call “Charlie Brown” trees. Advertised at $24, I expected this selection of trees to be scrawny, 3-foot “junk” trees with lopsided branches and holes.. but instead, I found a large selection of pretty, decently-sized, full, symmetrical, healthy trees… an unbeatable deal in these days of $100 drooping, sad looking trees at the local box store.
(Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)
And I can truly say it is only when the scent of tree sap and crushed needles hits my senses on the way home from picking a tree – whether it is at a nearby forest, a tree farm, or a local tree lot – that it truly begins to feel a lot like Christmas.
Tree farms in and around Northeast Georgia:
Barn Hill Tree Farm — 417 Oklahoma Ave W, Dahlonega, GA — Out of Stock/Closed for the Season
Becks Christmas Tree Farm — 648 Christmas Tree Rd., Bowersville, GA — No details on tree varieties or prices published.
Berry’s Christmas Tree Farm — 70 Mt. Tabor Rd., Covington, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland Cypress ($9/ft.) Carolina Sapphire ($9/ft.), Murray Cypress ($9/ft.), Cedar ($8/ft.), Virginia Pine ($8/ft.). Pre-cut: Fraser Fir (prices vary), Blue Ice ($9/ft.). Pet-friendly (leashed)
Blessed Pastures Farm — 340 Rock Creek Rd. SW, Calhoun, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Mostly Murray Cypress, some Carolina Sapphire, and Eastern Red Cedar. No pre-cut Fraser Firs. Cash only. No prices listed.
Bottoms Christmas Tree Farm — 5880 John Burruss Rd., Cumming, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland Cypress, Virginia Pine, Carolina Sapphire, White Pine, Deodar Cedar. Pre-cut: Fraser Fir. Choose/Cut/Carry $10/SF, precut individually priced. Pet-friendly (leashed)
Choestoe farms — 130 Twiggs Rd., Blairsville, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry:Murray Cypress. Prices depend on size (6-9 ft) and range between $45-$85.
Christmas Carroll Tree Farm — LaFayette, GA — (2 locations, see website for more information) Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland and Murray Cypress, and Carolina Sapphires starting at $30, pre-cut North Carolina Fraser Firs, individually priced.
Coker Tree Farm — 2280 Macland Rd., Marietta, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Murray Cypress and Carolina Sapphire trees ($10/ft.) Pre-cut: North Carolina Fraser Firs (Price varies, but approximately $12/ft.)
Cooper’s Tree Farm — 5577 Winder Hwy., Braselton, GA — No Choose/Cut/Carry this year. Pre-cut Fraser Firs available. Prices not listed.
Hartland Farms — 1791 Flat Rock Rd. Hartwell, GA — Does not specialize in Christmas trees but does offer Carolina Sapphire and Green Giant Arborvitae trees as part of their normal tree farm selections. Visit the website for more information.
Holly Hill Christmas Tree Farm — 276 Woodland Ln., Dahlonega, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: White Pines and Cypress. Pre-cut: Fraser Firs. Prices not published.
Hunters’ Christmas Tree Farm — 14680 Wood Rd., Milton, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland Cypress sold out. Pre-cut: Fraser Firs (Starting at $14/ft.)
Jacks Creek Tree Farm — 2291 Price Mill Rd., Bishop, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland Cypress, Red Cedars, Blue Ice Spruce, Carolina Sapphire, Green Giant. Pre-cut: Fraser firs. Tabletop trees ($30). Other tree prices not listed, but they do offer a distance discount: Show proof that you live 30+ miles away and receive $5 off any Christmas Tree.
Kinsey Family Farm — 7170 Jot-em Down Rd., Gainesville, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry:Carolina Sapphire Cypress, Murray Cypress. Live (root ball): ‘Hoopsii’ Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Deodar Cedar, ‘Carolina Sapphire’ Arizona Cypress. Pre-cut: Fraser Fir, Noble Fir, Douglas Fir, Balsam Fir (limited), Blue Spruce, Nordmann Fir, Scotch Pine. “Charlie Brown” trees – $24. All other prices vary.
Kittle Christmas Tree Farm — 949 Salem Valley Rd., Ringgold, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, White Pine. Prices not published
May Lan Tree Plantation — 56 Cooley Bridge Rd., Pelzer, SC — Choose/Cut/Carry: Virginia Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, Leyland Cypress. Prices not published
Mike’s Christmas Tree Farm — 3847 Loganville Highway (Hwy 20), Loganville, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Virginia Pine, Red Cedar, White Pine, Leyland Cypress, and Scotch Pine. Trees are $35, any size. Limited inventory. Call before visiting.
Moss Family Christmas Tree Farm — 121 GA-140, Adairsville, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Murray Cypress, Green Arborvitae, and Carolina Sapphire. Pre-cut: Fraser, Concolor, Turkish, and Canaan Firs. Prices not published.
Raulston Acres Christmas Tree Farm — 2572 Georgia 95, Rock Springs, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Murray Cypress, Blue Ice Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, Virginia Pine, White Pine. Pre-cut: Oregon Douglas Fir. Farm-grown trees approximately $9/ft., and pre-cut trees $12-$13/ft.
Santa Land Christmas Tree Farm — 2574 Concord Rd., LaFayette, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Cypress trees up to 7 feet available $8 per foot, including tax. Cash or check only.
7 G’s Farm — 2377 Old Kings Bridge Rd., Nicholson, GA — Out of stock/Closed for the season.
Silver Creek Christmas Tree Farm — 226 Spur 101 SE, Silver Creek, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry:Murray Cypress, White Pine, Carolina Sapphire. Pre-cut: Fraser Firs. Prices not published.
Sleepy Hollow Farm — 628 Sleepy Hollow Rd., Powder Springs, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, and Virginia Pines (limited stock). Pre-cut: North Carolina Fraser Fir. Farm-grown trees are $10-$12/ft. Pre-cut are $12-$15/ft.
Sorrells Christmas Tree Farm — 156 Radisson Road Seneca, SC — Choose/Cut/Carry:Carolina Sapphire, Eastern Red Cedar, Leyland Cypress, Murray Cypress, Virginia Pine, White Pine. Prices not published.
Southern Tree Plantation 2226 Owltown Rd., Blairsville, GA, limited inventory. Contact before visiting.
Thompson’s Tree Farm — 1829 Prospect Rd., Lawrenceville, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Green Giants, Blue Ice, and Carolina Sapphires. No Fraser Firs. Prices not listed.
West Wood Farms — 139 West Wood Farms Dr., Mineral Bluff, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Carolina Sapphire, Juniper, and Murray Cypress, starting at $13/ft.
Wheeler’s Christmas Tree Farm — 662 Hall Rd., Cairo, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Murray & Leyland Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, and Blue Ice Cedar. Prices not published.
Young Road Christmas Tree Farm — 139 Young Rd. SW, Cartersville, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry:Eastern Red Cedar, Leyland Cypress, Virginia Pine, White Pine. Pre-cut: Fraser Firs. $12/ft. Any variety. Cash only.
Yule Forest — 3565 Hwy. 155 N., Stockbridge, GA — Choose/Cut/Carry: Leyland Cypress, Green Giant, Virginia Pine, Blue Ice Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, Burkii Cedar. Pre Cut Fraser Fir, Blue Spruce. Prices vary.
(Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)
CHOOSING A TREE
Tips: Look for a tree that…
Has been kept in water, out of the direct sunlight
Does not have dry, brittle twigs or a sour, musty smell
Is not losing green needles (the loss of old brown needles from the inside of the tree when shaken does not indicate a problem with the tree.)
Has needles that feel pliable and fresh.
Is the right size for the space and is not too large for your tree stand. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed. Also, do not remove the bottom whorl of branches from the tree to fit it in the stand. Be sure that the handle (the butt of the tree – the space between the lowest ring of branches and the bottom of the trunk) is long enough to allow display of the tree without cutting off the lower whorl of large branches. USDA grading rules specify trees should have a minimum 6” handle and a maximum of 1 ½ inches for every foot of tree height.
Types: Choose a tree that suits you
These days, you can find Firs, Pines, Cedars, Spruces, Cypresses, and a few miscellaneous trees being sold as Christmas trees. Firs and Pines are your best best for needle retention and are some of the most traditional Christmas trees. Spruces tend to be the best for rigid branches (for heavy ornaments), with the Scotch pine being the exception, having very strong branches. The Fir trees will have the strongest scents, while Spruce and Cypress trees have no or little scent, making them good for those with allergies. Firs, White Pine and Cypress trees are your best bet for soft needles, while the Spruces are very prickly.
FIR
Balsam – Dark green, ¾” to 1.5” flat needles, rounded at the tip, with excellent retention, but weaker limbs do not do well with heavy ornaments. Strong, long-lasting scent. Classic Christmas tree shape
Canaan – Short, soft needles that are dark green on the upper surface and silvery blue on the underside. Combines the strong fragrance of the Balsam Fir with the better needle retention of the Fraser Fir.
Fraser – Arguably one of the most popular Christmas trees, and typically the tree used at tree lots, box stores, and fundraising tree stands. Short, ½” – 1” flat needles that are dark green on top and blue-green underneath. Good needle retention, Branches tip up and are slightly rigid, but not the best for very heavy ornaments. Light sweet/pungent scent. Nice pyramid shape.
Noble – Short, 1” upturned needles that are rich deep green on top with a blue-green underside. Rigid branches make it well-suited to heavy ornaments. Upturned needles with medium green top and blue-green underside. Extremely aromatic.
White or Concolor – Blue-green needles, with a whitish tint, that are ½” – 1 ½” with good retention. Nice pyramid shape and light, citrus scent.
Grand – Bright green, shiny flat needles, 1” – 1 ½” long with blunt, rounded tips. Resiny, citrusy scent. The needles alternate longer and shorter on the branch, which gives the branches a fuller look.
Nordmann – Deep, black-green, glossy needles that are longer than most other firs, giving it a softer look. Needle retention similar to Nobles and Frasers.
Douglas – 1” – 1.5” dark green, soft (what the Forest Service calls Flat, Friendly, and Flexible) needles that radiate in all directions from the stem, giving the tree a full appearance. Neele retention is poor. Strong, sweet, Christmassy fragrance, especially when needles are crushed.
PINE
Eastern White – Some of the longest needles out of all Christmas tree varieties, giving it a very soft look. Soft, flexible 2” – 5” green needles with a slight blue tint. Average needle retention, with a faint scent that makes it a good choice for those sensitive to strong smells. Requires lots of water.
Scotch (Scots) – 1” – 3”, medium, bright green, stiff needles with sharp ends. Excellent needle retention, needles will stay on even when dry. Strong branches with an open arrangement, good for heavy and/or large ornaments. Keeps aroma throughout the season.
Virginia – Dark green needles are 1 ½” – 3″. Strong branches densely arranged. Strong aromatic pine scent. Grows natively in Georgia.
Afghan – Soft, short needles with sturdy branches; open appearance; mild fragrance; average needle retention.
CEDAR
Deodar – Very short blueish-green, very prickly needles. Very strong, drooping branches.
Eastern Red – Dark, shiny, green needles that are very prickly to the touch. Strong, long-lasting scent. Poor needle retention (actually a juniper, not cedar).
SPRUCE
Colorado Blue – Blue-green or gray-green, short, stiff, sharp needles with an unpleasant odor when needles are crushed. Symmetrical form, with good needle retention.
Norway – ½” – 1” long, shiny, dark green needles with poor retention and a strong fragrance, and a nice conical shape.
White – ½” – ¾” green to bluish-green, short, stiff needles with a blunt tip; crushed needles have an unpleasant odor; good needle retention and strong branches.
CYPRESS
Leyland – Medium to dark green slender needles that are soft to the touch. Less sturdy branches that do not do well with heavy ornaments. Excellent needle retention, very little scent. Requires lots of water.
Murray – Variant of the Leyland Cypress bred to have improved qualities for the grower. Very little discernible difference to the Leyland for the consumer. Perhaps slightly darker than the Leyland.
Arizona Cypress (Carolina Sapphire& Blue Ice) – Arizona Cypress trees include the Carolina Sapphire and Blue Ice varieties. Carolina Sapphire’s best characteristics include a beautiful blue color and an excellent aroma. The Blue Ice has an unusual blue/gray color. Both have lacy-appearing needles with densely-packed limbs of low rigidity, making heavy ornaments unwise. Trees dry out fast, with medium to low needle retention. Light citrusy/minty scent.
MISC
Green Giant Arborvitae – Fast-growing evergreen with an exclamation point form. Similar in foliage to the Carolina Sapphire. Not traditionally thought of as a Christmas tree, but is less expensive and useful as a hedge planting after Christmas.
(Jessica Waters/Now Habersham)
CARING FOR YOUR TREE
Double-check that the seller makes a fresh cut straight across the base of the trunk to aid water absorption.
Keep your Christmas tree in a sheltered, unheated area such as a porch or garage to protect it from the wind and sun until you are ready to bring it indoors.
Keep the trunk of the tree immersed in a bucket of water. A seal of dried sap will form over the cut stump in four to six hours if the water drops below the base of the tree, preventing the tree from absorbing water later when the tree stand is refilled. If a seal forms, another fresh cut will need to be made before putting it in the stand. Don’t cut the trunk at an angle or into a v-shape.
Use a stand with a water reservoir that can hold one quart of water for every inch of the trunk’s diameter. Note: A tree will absorb as much as a gallon of water or more in the first 24 hours and one or more quarts a day thereafter.
Remember to check the water level in the morning and at night for the first week and refill as needed — it should always cover the bottom two inches of the trunk. Checking once per day should be sufficient after the first week.
Use fresh, cool water. Do not add bleach, corn syrup, aspirin, sugar or any other additive, and do not use hot water.
Do not drill holes in the base of the trunk, this does not improve water uptake.
Keep trees away from major sources of heat (fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, direct sunlight). Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, reducing water consumption each day.
Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove or fireplace.
________________
(Tree data, needle photos, and care tips compiled from Kinsey Farm, USDA Forest Service, pickyourownchristmastree.org, Oregon State University Extension Service, realchristmastrees.org, Farmers Almanac and the Georgia Christmas Tree Association.)
Newly-elected Post 2 Clarkesville City Council member Brad Coppedge is sworn into office by Clarkesville Mayor Barrie Aycock on Dec. 5, 2022. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Clarkesville’s newest city council member is on the job. Mayor Barrie Aycock swore in Brad Coppedge Monday during a council work session.
Coppedge succeeds Roxie Barron as the Post 2 city council member after defeating Rick Wood in the November 8 special election.
After he was sworn into office, Coppedge told New Habersham, “I have waited for this opportunity. I certainly appreciate everything that the residents of Clarkesville did in voting me in to put me in here. Now, the work begins.”
Barron resigned from the Clarkesville City Council in March because she was moving to Florida. Coppedge will fill the remainder of Barron’s unexpired term through December 31, 2023.
He says he’s looking forward to working with this team.
“Like I said during the campaign, I am working toward a better Clarkesville.”
