It’s one weekend and does good
Pickens Sheriff’s JeepFest will roll into town for its 16th annual event this week, with activities kicking off this Thursday and running through Sunday. JeepFest has grown leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings into the largest event in Pickens County and now brings thousands of tourists – and their Jeeps – from out of town.
And with all the tourists and dirt-covered Jeeps, a group of local folks loves to complain every year about how they can’t stand the event, extra traffic, extra people, and maybe a little mud on the roads. We want to remind everyone that JeepFest is a major fundraiser for local charities that support our kids.
Since 2011, JeepFest has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for everything from Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes and Special Olympics for Pickens County to the Boys & Girls Club, the Jasper Youth Sports Association, and many others. For some of these charities, like the Special Olympics, JeepFest is the sole funder.
So while our roads might be a little busier, it’s only for a few days and does so much good for our local kids. Stop grousing.
No volunteers, no events
After over 40 years, the Georgia Marble Festival Road Race, which at its peak had 500-800 runners and raised money for local causes, will not return this year.
Jasper United Methodist Church volunteers and their Dorcas Women’s Circle have hosted the event and recently announced the hiatus. While the upcoming GDOT project was part of the problem, the race’s future after this year remains uncertain.
We have editorialized many times about how local non-profits and charities have volunteers who are aging out, with few newcomers stepping up to fill their shoes. All of these great events people love might not happen if organizations can’t find people willing to help out.
A prime example is the now-defunct Sharptop Arts Association, a local institution founded in the 70s that went belly up after four decades. This non-profit eventually failed because of, among other issues, a lack of leadership and people willing to get involved.
We’d encourage people to find a cause they love and give a little of their time. Even if people get involved for a few hours a week or month, it could make a huge difference for our local civic groups.
More bad luck for Jasper
Just a few weeks after a lightning bolt struck Oglethorpe Monument on Main Street, and following a litany of problems including critical water infrastructure issues, the city of Jasper is facing yet another challenge – sinkholes.
This week, we have a report on three sinkholes on city roads that Jasper leaders are scrambling to repair. Two on Indian Springs are due to stormwater or runoff problems, and one on Church Street in front of Speedburger was caused by their infrastructure.
Every time we turn around, some other major issue or PR debacle is plaguing the city. Jasper officials have said these unexpected projects, like the monument and sinkholes, have to be addressed immediately. This, of course, takes attention away from their staff to address other larger problems at hand.
We’ve had our fair share of criticism for the city, but we do recognize they are getting dealt some hard blows at inopportune times, and we hope some good luck comes their way.
