Features

The Trojans and Lady Trojans cranked up the 2019-2020 basketball season Tuesday when they traveled to Jackson. They play at Alcovy Friday night.

The home opener in the new gym is Saturday when Upson-Lee comes calling. The girls play at 5:30 p.m. with the boys game to follow.

Adam Ballard returns to coach the Lady Trojans. His team is coming off a 25-2 season and an appearance in the GHSA Sweet 16. Darrin Clark will try to resuscitate the boys program. He comes here after a stint at SW Macon.

The Empty Stocking Fund is offering one last signup day Thursday for parents and guardians to seek assistance with Christmas gifts. Signups will be taken at the Barnesville fire station on Forsyth Street from 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Parents should bring an EBT letter, check stub or some other proof of household income.

“We already have 168 kids from 68 families signed up so we need the public’s support,” chairman Glenn Forsyth reported.

New toys and monetary donations can be dropped off at the fire station. Donations can also be made at any United Bank location.

Advance location personnel were in Barnesville last week in preparation for two days of filming here on ‘Tag Team’, a spinoff from the popular ‘Captain America’ movie. [Full Story »] 

The new Barnesville Boys & Girls Club will open in early January and a fundraising drive is ongoing to kickstart the program. The club will be housed in a building that is well-underway on the campus of the elementary school on Roberta Drive.

The search for an executive director for the club is ongoing and the steering committee has raised just over half of its goal of $250,000.

Gifts of any size are helpful and will be welcomed. You can mail checks to P.O. Box 624, Barnesville, Ga. 30204 or give online at www.bgcncg.com. For more information, call 770-267-8034.

Barnesville library patrons with overdue books may exchange food for fines during the month of November. Each canned or boxed food item will be the equivalent of $1 in fines. Food donations may not be used to offset lost or damaged book fees.

Food items will go to the Hope Tree food bank. No government subsidy food items will be accepted.

For more information, call 770-358-3270.

The dreaded time change is upon us so set your clocks back one hour before bed Saturday night.

And get used to it being dark at 4:30 p.m.

The 'yellow' playground at the recreation complex on Gordon Road has been roped off, closed and will be refurbished. The play area is over 20 years old and countless children have enjoyed it.

The county commission and recreation department hope to rebuild a better, safer playground with a certified swing for the handicapped. The minimum cost for the project is expected to be $25,000 and about half of that money is in hand. The hope is that grant funds or donations from individuals and businesses will put the fund drive over the top.

For more information or to make a donation, call recreation director Tiffany Lowe at 770-358-5800.

Much needed rain will fall today, tonight and during the day Thursday but the current forecast calls for the precipitation to taper off to a drizzle by trick-or-treat time Thursday evening just in time for multiple events.

The phenomenon that is Halloween in Barnesville lures little ghosts and goblins from miles around and this year will be no exception with a witch’s cauldron full of spooky happenings on tap.

To start off the season First Baptist Church of Barnesville will hold trunk or treat on Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 6-8 p.m. that includes a free hotdog dinner.

Thomaston Street will be shut down around dusk Oct. 31 for the huge, family-friendly trick-or-treat extravaganza.

The Barnesville Police Department will host its haunted jail event at the Old Jail Museum beginning at 5 p.m. Call 770-358-1244 for more information.

First United Methodist Church will host the annual Fall Festival on its front lawn with games, popcorn, etc. For more information, call 770-358-1494.

Barnesville Church of the Nazarene will host its annual Trunk or Treat on Thursday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. with an evening of fun for your entire family. Free hotdogs and chili will be served as long as they last at 744 Veterans Parkway by the railroad tracks. Info: barnesvillenazarene.com and on Facebook at Barnesville Church of the Nazarene.

At the Barnesville library, the school system will give away free books and literacy materials to kids ages birth through middle school age from 5-8 p.m. This effort is funded by a literacy grant. For information, call 770-358-5891.

Local favorites Lady Creech and the Main Street Band will perform Saturday, Nov. 2 from 7-10 p.m. at Ritz Park. Admission is free but donations will be sought to help the Loving Hands Youth Development Program with their transportation needs.

After defeating Wolfpack Elite 32-6 here last Saturday in the pouring rain, the 6U Lamar County Trojans are 7-0, sitting atop the region standings and are ranked #7 in the state. The play their last home game of the season Saturday at 10 a.m. against Pike County and are hopeful of community support.

Twin brothers Andrew and Aaron Dotson got to celebrate their 20-month birthday Saturday thanks to the quick response and actions of Lamar County firefighters and some help from up above.

The twins were stricken at their Community House Road home after they found and ingested blood pressure medication belonging to an adult family member. [Full Story »] 

By Walter Geiger

At the first Greenwood Cemetery Lantern Tour two years ago, Byron Smith portrayed his grandfather Walter B. Smith. This year, Smith will portray his great-grandfather’s one-time partner in the buggy manufacturing business George L. Summers.

Historic Summers Field, now Summers Field Park, is named for Summers who donated $500 for the grading and development of the old peat bog that for generations was home to a tannery.

Summers (1837-1916) was a native of Virginia and served in the 17th Virginia Regiment in the Civil War. When the hostilities ended, Summers returned to Barnesville where he had spent some time before the war. In 1866, Summers entered into a partnership with Smith and they developed the business of manufacturing the Barnesville buggy, known for quality and durability.
[Full Story »] 

The Diamond Trojan baseball program (middle and high school) will again be smoking Boston butts just in time for Thanksgiving. This will mark the 16th year of the fundraiser.

Finished butts can be picked up Nov. 22 at Aldora Field. Butts smoked and wrapped are $30. You can have yours smoked, pulled and panned for $40.

For more information, call coach Mike Oberg at 770-358-8641.

The Barnesville Police Department will once again host its ‘Haunted Jail’ event on Halloween night, October 31 beginning at 5 p.m. at the Old Jail Museum behind the courthouse. In addition to the haunting, there will be bouncy houses, cake walks and other events for the whole family. Admission to the jail is $3 per person, $5 for two people and $10 for five people. Cake walks are $1.

Volunteers and vendors are sought. For more information, call 770-358-1244.