Ginny Allison of Clarkesville stands on the corner of Washington and East Water Street greeting bikers to her hometown. Clarkesville is an overnight stop for 1,200 cyclists participating in the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG).
Her cheers are what first drew me to her. “Welcome to Clarkesville!,” she shouted above the loud traffic noise. “Welcome to Clarkesville,” she shouted again. “Turn this way.”
As she turned her head and pointed the bikers in the direction they should go, I saw her smile.
Her joy and enthusiasm were infectious.
Several more bikers rode past before I finally introduced myself.
“Hi, I’m Joy Purcell from Now Habersham,” I said.
At that moment a vehicle drove by and the driver honked at us. We turned to see a beaming face looking back at us, waving.
“Who is that,” I asked.
“My sister,” she said.
“What’s her name?”
“Nancy Dolph.”
“I know her,” I said, barely containing my excitement. (Nancy is a wonderful soul for those who don’t know her.)
She then told me her name, “Ginny Allison.”
In typical Habersham County fashion it turns out we’re connected through mutual family friends.
It’s that sense of connection that binds us together as a community here in Habersham and, on this day, folks eagerly welcomed others in to it.
As more cyclists trickled into town, more locals gathered to cheer them on.
Once in a lifetime
Koddi Dunn of Cornelia and her children Jaden and Jordyn joined in the chorus of voices on the Clarkesville Square that greeted the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) when it came into town Thursday. “There’s nothing better than to have a once in a lifetime experience,” Dunn said. “I mean, a thousand bikers coming through Clarkesville? That doesn’t happen every day!”
Dunn’s love of adventure obviously has rubbed off on her kids.
“I don’t get to see this thing every day and if I do see it it’s only on the Olympics on TV,” said 8-year-old Jaden. “I’m really excited to be here ’cause this doesn’t happen every day.”
2-year-old Jordyn didn’t have much to say but still showed her approval with applause and a fist bump.
Habersham hospitality
The Dunn’s and Allison embody the hospitality Habersham County’s business and community leaders hope to showcase to the BRAG visitors.
Clarkesville Economic Development Director Mary Beth Horton says it’s an honor that Habersham was selected as a stopover on this year’s BRAG route. It also promises to be a boon for the local economy.
“They’ve come through Jasper earlier this week and their city official said that it (economic impact) was about $100,000 for them in that one day alone. That’s just a tremendous, tremendous boost for our businesses,” says Clarkesville Economic Development Director Mary Beth Horton.
The excitement and economic impact extends beyond Clarkesville.
Horton put together a booklet for the cyclists that includes information on local restaurants, hotels, and area tourist attractions.
“We hope that many people will come visit our museums and restaurants, and we know some will be staying in our hotels and visiting our Walmart,” says Cornelia Economic Development Director Jessie Owensby. “We are excited for the crowd!”
Clarkesville is hosting a Sip & Stroll from 6-8 p.m. Thursday in conjunction with BRAG. Cyclists and the public are invited to come enjoy beer and wine as they listen to live music and shop downtown stores.
As is true with any event of this nature there’s money to be made but perhaps equally, if not more importantly, there are memories and new friends to be made.
“I think it’s wonderful! It reminds me of the time I was in Paris when they won the soccer cup and we were on the sides of the street waving them on,” says Jenny Ruhlman of Clarkesville.
It’s those kind of fond memories Habersham County business and community leaders hope to leave with BRAG riders so that one day, hopefully, they’ll return.
“Because we’re so friendly and charming and we have a beer truck in town,” laughs Horton.
The cyclists will stay overnight in Habersham before heading out early Friday for Toccoa. They’ll spend the night there and will reach their final destination, Hartwell, on Saturday.
