SPLOST VI

Hello this is Wendi Bailey, your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President with your Weekly Chamber Update.

Early voting has begun and continues through November 1st. Election Day is November 5^th. Stephens County voters are casting ballots on SPLOST VI, a continuation of the one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

Would you like learn more about SPLOST?  Barry Hodges, Chair of the “Stephens County Friends of SPLOST VI” committee will present at a Town Hall meeting set for Monday October 28^th at 5:30pm in the Historic Courthouse.

The presentation includes an overview of the SPLOST, a review of the completed SPLOST “V” projects and a review of the proposed SPLOST “VI” projects.  There will be a question and answer period following the presentation.

Barry recently spoke at the Rotary Club of Toccoa.  He and his committee have been distributing SPLOST VI informational fliers.  If you would like to have Barry present to your civic or church group meeting please call the Chamber at 706-886-2132.

I have a few announcements for you:

Please mark your calendars and save the date for the Stephens County School System’s “Annual Report Forum” presented by School Superintendent Sherrie Whiten.  The luncheon is set for Tuesday November 12^th from 11am to 1pm at Gate Cottage.     

Today we have a Business After Hours from 5pm-6:30pm hosted by the Power House for Kids at their location on highway 123.  Jackpot is up to $100 and you must be present to win.

On Friday we have a Ribbon Cutting for the Royal Foods Store new owner at 10am at his location on 123 just past PTL Equipment on the right heading to Jeanette Jamieson Parkway.

·         Have you seen the 2013 Southern Living Custom Builder Showcase Home at the Currahee Club yet? It’s open every Friday through Sunday, now through December 22.  The home is beautifully decorated and features furniture made by Habersham and art created by local artists.   

Your Chamber helps you market your business, meet other business owners and continue your business education. Visit toccoagachamber.com to see the list of 465 members who are building a better community.  Join us today! Call 706-886-2132. That’s your weekly Update. I’m Wendi Bailey, your Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President. 

2013 Currahee Military Weekend A Success!

The Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, Stephens County Historical Society, the Toccoa Main Street program, and new this year “Camp Toccoa at Currahee Project”, want to congratulate everyone on making the 13th Annual Currahee Military reunion and weekend a huge success!  

Together with your support we "rolled out the red carpet" for the Camp Toccoa veterans, their families, and the re-enactors. It was a memorable weekend to honor the men of Camp Toccoa, as well as all veterans, and current active military.   

AM 630 WNEG and The Toccoa Record once again gave this event priority and we are forever grateful for the support.  

We sold out of chicken at the Chamber BBQ, had record participation in the Currahee Challenge, our hotels and restaurants were full, an overall positive report for us all. We welcomed six Camp Toccoa veterans who were delighted to return to Currahee Mountain and eat their banquet dinner on the old Camp Toccoa site.

A special thanks to local artist Carl Fennell who provided the design of “Currahee Mountain” for the Currahee Challenge t-shirt and to architect Garland Reynolds for the Reunion t-shirt featuring Phase I of the Camp Toccoa Project. 

A special thanks to the Toccoa-Stephens County Community Theater for performing a “Musical Tribute to Our Veterans” for guests and the community.

There are so many who volunteer and sponsor the weekend activities we are at great risk for not recognizing someone’s act of support. Please accept our sincerest apologies and know we appreciate you!  Our sponsors are listed on the Chamber’s web site at www.toccoagachamber.com.

Once again, thank you Toccoa-Stephens County for welcoming back our veterans; for dressing yourselves in military and 1940’s outfits and for showing our visitors your southern hospitality and patriotic spirit!    

That’s your weekly update! I’m Wendi Bailey your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President.

Currahee Military Weekend is Here!

Weekly Chamber Update as heard on WNEG AM 630 every Thursday at 6:45am, 12:45pm and 5:45pm.

Thursday October 3,  2013

Hello this is Wendi Bailey your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President with your Weekly Chamber Update.

Here we go! Currahee Military Weekend is finally here!

Show your patriotic spirit by placing American Flags in your business windows and store fronts. Welcome the veterans and active military on your business marquis. Dress yourselves in military or 1940’s outfits.

There are Currahee Challenge runners coming from 26 different states, there are nine Camp Toccoa veterans registered for the reunion weekend and there are over eighty soldiers from Fort Gordon, GA.  Please come downtown and thank them ALL in person for coming to Toccoa for Currahee Military Weekend.  

Visitors to Toccoa-Stephens County are encouraged to visit the Camp Toccoa property donated to the Stephens County Historical Society by Pacolet-Milliken, Inc. and the memorials nearby. Plans for the project can be seen in the Historical Society gift shop at the Currahee Military Museum and include restoring the headquarters, replicating the barracks, a pavilion, theater, sentry building and more.   

Camp Toccoa at Currahee is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the legacy of the great American heroes who trained on Currahee Mountain. In June, Tom Hanks donated $25,000 to restore Camp Toccoa. There is still money to be raised and work to be done but it’s a mission that we must complete.            

Tickets for Currahee Military Weekend activities are available at the Welcome Center and you can find a complete list of our activities, volunteers and sponsors online.

The Musical Tribute to our Veterans kicks everything off tonight - at the Schaefer Center at 7pm – and is a free concert. Listen to WNEG AM 630 for your chance to win complimentary tickets.  

One announcement for you:

Did you know the 2013 Southern Living Custom Builder Showcase Home is now open at the Currahee Club on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - now through December 22. Admission is $10 and tickets can be purchased online, at the house or at the Welcome Center.  

 

Your Chamber helps build a stronger community by involving our members in the top business, civic and social priorities. Join us today!

 

That’s your weekly Update.  I’m Wendi Bailey your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President. 

 

 

Currahee Military Weekend & Southern Living Showcase Home

Hello this is Wendi Bailey your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President with your Weekly Chamber Update.

The Currahee Military Weekend banners are going up this week in preparation for the big long weekend from Thursday October 3^rd through Sunday October 6^th’ 2013!  NEW THIS YEAR: the first 200 people who register for the Currahee Challenge run/walk will get army dog tags. The Stephens County Community Theater will perform “A Musical Tribute to Our Veterans” live at the Schaefer Center. At the Airport, there will be a Huey AND a Cobra helicopter along with other Dixie Wing planes available for rides for a fee. There will be a “Grenade Toss” event at the train depot. The banquet and auction will be set up in tents on the original Camp Toccoa Property with a 1940’s radio show as entertainment. We hope everyone dresses up in period costume like it’s the 1940’s all weekend long.  We’re distributing Weekend posters and schedules along with Toccoa Trivia and a County Quiz to help us prepare our front line businesses who will greet our guests. Let’s roll out the red carpet for them and let’s make-their-day!

Few announcements for you:

The 2013 Southern Living Custom Builder Showcase Home by Dillard-Jones Builders will be open at Currahee Club Friday through Sunday from September 27 through December 22.  Inspired by the pages of Southern Living and the North Georgia Mountains, Quarry Ridge overlooks Hole #17, the Quarry Hole, on Currahee Club's Jim Fazio designed, Rolex World's Top 1000 Golf Course. Admission to tour the 2013 Southern Living Custom Builder Showcase Home is only $10, with a portion of ticket sales benefiting Neighbors 4 Neighbors of Stephens County and the Food 2 Kids Program of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. The Welcome Center is the official location for ticket sales.

This Friday at 10am is a very special Ribbon Cutting celebration for Jay-Marz Signs & Graf-X at their new location on Big A Rd. Come celebrate with owners Jason & Marti Tanner and check out their products and services. We hope to see you there!    

Finally, you're invited to the Highway GA17 Groundbreaking Ceremony at NGTC-Currahee Campus Wednesday, September 18 from 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 pm. Mark your calendars and plan to attend!  

Your Chamber helps build a stronger community by involving membership in the top business, civic and social priorities. Join us today!  That’s your weekly Update.  I’m Wendi Bailey your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President. 

WNEG AM 630 Weekly Chamber Update, 9-5-13

Hello this is Wendi Bailey your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President with your Weekly Chamber Update.

Currahee Military Weekend is coming up Thursday October 3^rd through Sunday October 6^th’ 2013!

Get ready for the weekend favorites including the community-wide BBQ, Hangar Dance, the Currahee Challenge run/walk, and much, much, more!  

New this year, the Stephens County Community Theater will perform “A Musical Tribute to Our Veterans” live at the Schaefer Center. At the Airport there will be a Huey AND a Cobra helicopter available for rides for a fee. There will be a “Grenade Toss” event at the train depot and the banquet and auction will be set up in tents on the original Camp Toccoa Property. The entertainment is a 1940’s radio show with long-time local resident and radio business man, Roy Gaines of WNEG, along with the Vintage Vocals and other local talent. All events are open to the public, the dinner and entertainment ticket is $50, for reservations call 706-282-5055.

We are asking everyone to please dress up in period dress, like it’s the 1940’s all weekend long. Hair dressers are offering 40’s hairstyles so get your army outfits ready.

We’re distributing Weekend posters and schedules now along with Toccoa Trivia and a County Quiz. We want to prepare our front line businesses who will meet and greet our guests coming in to see the Southern Living Home and for the Currahee Military Reunion Weekend. Let’s roll out the red carpet and make-their-day!

Few announcements for you:

Today is a Business-After-Hours from 5pm-6:30pm at the Currahee Club for Currahee Home Builders and their new rental cottage.  Please plan to attend this wine and cheese affair and register in the drawing for a free overnight stay.  

Also, please register for the Social Media Marketing L-N-L on Tuesday September 10th from 11am to 1pm in the Mitchell Allen room. Learn how to use low cost social media marketing tools to gain visibility and dive sales.

Finally, you're invited to the Highway GA17 Groundbreaking Ceremony at NGTC-Currahee Campus Wednesday, September 18 from 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.! Please RSVP to info@scda.biz or 706-886-4242 by Friday, September 13. 

Your Chamber helps build a stronger community by involving membership in the top business, civic and social priorities. Join us today!  That’s your weekly Update.  I’m Wendi Bailey your Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President. 

Currahee Military Weekend is OCT 3-6, 2013

The annual Currahee Military Weekend is only a few weeks away—Thursday through Sunday, October 3 – 6, 2013. These events are sponsored and hosted by Stephens County Historical Society, Main Street Toccoa, Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, and Camp Toccoa at Currahee.

We will have several events new and different this year and we are looking forward to the return of many of our guest from past military weekends and we will have some new faces to join in for the events.

New this year, the Stephens County Community Theater will perform the “A Musical Tribute to Our Veterans” live on Thursday October 3rd at the Schaefer Center. On Saturday at the Airport there will be a Huey AND a Cobra helicopter available for rides.

We look forward to these gentlemen arriving in Toccoa, some on Thursday, October 3rd, and Friday, October 4th. Some of them will be speaking to students in the Stephens County School System Friday morning.

Later on Friday you may meet some of them at the annual Chamber of Commerce BBQ, at First Baptist Church.  Call the Chamber at 706-886-2132 for more information and tickets.

After the BBQ they will be attending and available for visits at “WWII on Paper.” The veterans will be autographing books, pictures, and other memorabilia from 1-4 p.m.  Friday afternoon in the Mitchell Allen Memorial Hall at the depot.  participating in the parade Saturday morning at 11 a.m.; attending the banquet Saturday evening; and attending the memorial service at Currahee Mountain Sunday morning.  You might even see some of them at the hangar dance to be held in the LeTourneau hangar at the airport Friday night at 7 p.m.

Activities at the airport will begin Friday night with the hangar dance and will continue Saturday with helicopter rides, vintage planes on display, and army recruiter displays.

The Currahee Challenge Run/Walk, sponsored by the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, will begin Saturday at 7:45 a.m. for the 3M run and at 8:30 a.m. for the 6M run.  The run, of course, is held at Currahee Mountain.

Participants in the parade will include the Stephens County High School Indian Band, Camp Toccoa veterans, re-enactors driving military vehicles, Stephens County High School JROTC, new military recruits, Shriners, and more.  The parade will begin after a parachute jump by the Special Forces Association Parachute Team.  The museum will close during the parade and opening ceremonies, so that volunteers and guest may enjoy these events. Visitors will be allowed to return, with their pass, to the museum after the ceremonies.

Opening ceremonies will be held at the depot following the parade.  The Blue Ridge Rifles from North Georgia College and State University will perform and the Stephens County High School JROTC will perform the presentation of colors.

On Saturday afternoon at the Train Depot the historical society is sponsoring the “2025 Grenade Toss.”  There are only 250 grenades available, so call, 706-282-5055 to reserve your chance to win first prize of $500. There are 250 prizes, so every grenade wins something.   

The annual fundraising banquet and auction Saturday night will be at a new but then also, an old location. This event will be at Camp Toccoa at Currahee, the old WWII training camp!!!  Also new for the banquet is a 1940's Radio Show, bringing the sounds, sites, and stories of the WWII years back to the old camp site for the first time in seventy years!!  Long time local resident and radio business man, Roy Gaines of WNEG history will be the MC, along with the Vintage Vocals and other local talent. Seats are limited, so make your plans to join us for a fun night at Currahee!!!  This event is open to the public, the dinner and entertainment is $50 a ticket, for reservations call 706-282-5055.

Other community organizations involved in the weekend include the Civil Air Patrol, Marine Corps League, American Legion, VFW, Stephens County High School Junior ROTC, the Pilot Club of Toccoa, Toccoa Lions Club, Rotary Club of Toccoa, and the Stephens County High School and Toccoa Elementary choruses.

Also new this year, we want everyone to dress up in period dress likes it’s the 1940’s all weekend long. The hair dressers in town will offer 40’s hairstyles and there are plenty of army fatigues around.

This event began years ago as a reunion for the men that trained at Camp Toccoa, and has since turned into a weekend of fun and fellowship. The event is now open to the community and general public, as well as all veterans and their families.

Living historians and re-enactors from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Tennessee will be present for the weekend and will set up their camps on the Stephens County Courthouse lawn and other areas near the museum.

A memorabilia show will be set up in downtown Toccoa, and it will be open Friday and Saturday.

Visitors to Toccoa/Stephens County are encouraged to visit the Camp Toccoa property donated to the Stephens County Historical Society by Pacolet-Milliken, Inc. and the memorials that are nearby.   Plans for the project may be viewed in the office/gift shop at the Currahee Military Museum and at Camp Toccoa at Currahee.  

Currahee Military Weekend officially ends Sunday morning with memorial and in honor of all veterans at 8:30 a.m. at the memorials at Camp Toccoa at Currahee.  Farewells are given after breakfast downtown Toccoa.