Georgia Recreation News

Georgia Mountain Fair Re-opens the Hamilton Garden Shop
Since 1982, the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds has operated the Hamilton Rhododendron Garden for the enjoyment of Towns County residents and our tourism visitors. Over the past 30 years, this garden has become a focal point for our county and northeast Georgia. To support efforts to raise revenue for improvements to the Garden, we have restored the original greenhouses built over 30 years ago and added our new Hamilton Garden Shop. Rows of rhododendron, locally grown annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, as well as a variety of greenhouse-grown flowers will surely invite you to purchase a plant to help save the Garden. All the profit from the sale of any plant will go toward restoration and new garden projects.

The Hamilton Garden recognized as one of only six public Rhododendron Gardens in the United States and received the honor of a small grant from the American Rhododendron Society this year. The grant is based on a proposal to restore the original greenhouses and to start restoration on the garden.

The goal with the shop is to draw more visitors to the garden area throughout the year while at the same time providing an educational experience. The Garden Shop Manager, Catherine Hansen, and the Garden Curator, Paul Hansen, are more than happy to give visitors an historical walk-through of Fred Hamilton’s original quest and to share their knowledge of just what it took to establish this “Jewel in the Mountains”. Guided Group Tours and Cart Tours are available. Catherine and Paul have a way of making horticulture and history really come together!

The newly restored Garden Shop and Greenhouse is located near the entrance to the Hamilton Gardens, in the upper parking level of the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. Just follow the sidewalk back to the sound of bluegrass music playing through the outdoor speakers, fountains running and hanging baskets full of color everywhere.

The Shop is open Wednesday through Saturday – 9 am to 3pm. It will close for the season at the end of the Fall Festival, October 21st. Look for us weekly at the Farmer's Market held across from the fairgrounds each Saturday.

The Hamilton Garden is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit and we truly appreciate the community supporting our efforts to help restore and maintain the Garden, our local treasure. All gifts are tax deductible. For more information on volunteering or donating to the Hamilton Gardens, please call the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds at (706) 896-4191.

“DISCOVER JACKSON COUNTY GEMS”

Available this summer on select dates, the Crawford Long Museum and Shields Ethridge Heritage Farm offers a combined tour day on Thursdays for groups to more closely discover two of Jackson County’s Gems.

Dating back to 1792, the Shields Ethridge Heritage Farm located on Ethridge Road will offer a guided one and one half hour tour of the historic farm to include family stories and viewing historic documents from the family’s rich history. Youth groups are welcome to bring sack lunches to enjoy on the premises. Senior citizen groups have the option to include a catered lunch in the tour fee. The morning hours for the Farm are from 10 am until 12:30 pm with the afternoon being spent touring the Crawford Long Museum from 1 pm to 3 pm. Reservations are required in advance for the selected day and groups must provide transportation between venues. Tour dates available are August 2 and August 9, 2012.

While visiting the Crawford Long Museum, participants will plant an herbal remedy pot to take home, complete with tea recipe for headaches or sore throats. In addition to permanent exhibits, visitors will also have the opportunity to view “The Country Doctors of Jefferson” and “The Threads of the Civil War” exhibits which are on display until the end of the year.

Price per student is $12.00 which includes learning activity at Museum. Price per senior to include lunch is $22.00 with learning activity at the Museum and $20.00 per senior without learning activity. Tour dates are subject to weather constraints.

For further information or to reserve a tour date, contact the museum at 706-367-5307. Museum operating hours, Tuesday – Friday, 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm.

GWINNETT COUNTY PARKS TRAIL DESIGNATED AS NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL

(Lawrenceville, GA., June 7, 2012) The Karina Miller Preserve Loop Trail at Little Mulberry Park was designated a National Recreation Trail on May 31, 2012. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis announced this addition bringing the total to 1,400 miles of trails in the National Trail System, spanning 23 states. National recreation trail designation recognizes existing trails and trail systems that link communities to recreational opportunities on public lands and in local parks across the nation.

“Today’s trails join a network of more than 1,150 previously-designated trails that span more than 13,650 miles.” said Director Jarvis. “As we celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, June 2, I encourage everyone to explore a trail – new or old – and enjoy the natural world.”

“We are very excited to be a part of the National Trails System and appreciate this designation from the National Park Service,” said Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash. “Little Mulberry Park is an asset to our local parks system, and the Karina Miller Preserve Loop Trail provides a wonderful opportunity for residents to enjoy Gwinnett County’s natural landscape.”

Little Mulberry Park encompasses 890 acres including 5 miles of paved multi-purpose and soft surface trails for equestrian and hiking; pavilions, playground, lake, overlook area at one of the highest elevations in Gwinnett County, restrooms, grill, and the Karina Miller Nature Preserve.

See “THE THREADS OF THE CIVIL WAR” EXHIBITION AT CRAWFORD LONG MUSEUM - Now Through October 31, 2012

Crawford Long Museum recently began a temporary exhibit “The Threads of the Civil War”. It features garments and accessories of the Civil War era. The exhibition will offer a glimpse into the life of Mary Jane Merk Patrick, a woman who lived in Jefferson and whose husband, Miles Jefferson Patrick died in the Civil War. With the enduring interest in this defining chapter of American history and in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the “War Between the States,” this exhibit expands on the currently running exhibit of Medicine in the Civil War.

Mary Jane Merk and Miles Jefferson Patrick both grew up in the Dry Pond area of Jackson County and were married in 1852. Miles served as Postmaster at Dry Pond in the early 1860s and was one of the first men to leave Jefferson to go to war as a volunteer in 1861. Serving as private and then corporal of Company G., 16th Regiment, Warfords Brigade, Georgia Infantry, Confederate States Army, Patrick died in Yorktown, Virginia in March, 1862.

Mary Jane Patrick is buried in Woodbine Cemetery in Jefferson. On the same lot is a Confederate marker in memory of Miles Patrick.

The great, great granddaughter of Mary Jane and Miles Patrick, Ceil Jarrett, is serving as Exhibit Project Consultant. Many personal family heirlooms will be on loan for the exhibit which will run until October 31, 2012. The Threads of the Civil War exhibition is included in regular museum admission prices. For further information, contact the museum at 706-367-5307. Museum operating hours, Tuesday – Friday, 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm.

Contact: Vicki Starnes, 706-367-5307

Take a fun Trip on the SAM Shortline Train - Rediscover the Rails - When the SAM Shortline Excursion Train pulls out of Georgia Veterans State Park, passengers forget their worries for a while, sit back and connect with their fellow travelers.

Georgia State Parks Woo First-Time Campers with Borrowed Gear and Expert Advice - Adults who grew up camping remember the fun of making s’mores by the campfire and sleeping under the stars. But for those who have never camped before, spending the night outdoors can be an unfamiliar adventure. Georgia’s State Parks have a new program where first-time campers can try out borrowed gear and enjoy a helping hand.