I Love My Pet Day coming to Toccoa

The Toccoa Main Street Program and the Stephens County Humane Shelter will be hosting a new event on July 23, 2011 called, "I Love My Pet Day." The event will start with a pet parade beginning at 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and finish with a movie at 9:00 p.m. The events will be located in downtown Toccoa on Doyle Street from Sage St to Alexander St for the Pet Parade and Sage St for the movie.

Registration for the parade will be on Sage St beginning at 9:00 a.m. Each entry must register at the registration booth. The parade will move down Doyle St to Alexander St and then back up the other side of Doyle St to Sage St. Judging will take place at the intersection of Doyle St and Alexander St. The different categories that will be judged are Best Costume, Most Unusual Pet, Owner-Pet Look alike, and Most Obedient/Best Tricks. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category. You may participate in the parade and not participate in the judging. There is no charge or entry fee.

For everyone’s enjoyment the following rules will be followed:

• All animals must be leashed (on a 5 ft – 6 ft retractable leash), licensed and have complete, up-to-date vaccinations and rabies shots.


• Pets must be kept under control at all times. Unruly participants will be asked to leave.
  Animals not trained to walk on a leash must be properly confined to a carrier.
  Water will be served in a community-bowl style. If you require a separate drinking container for your pet, please bring one.


• Participants are expected to practice responsible pet ownership – please come prepared to clean up after your companion animal. Baggies and trash receptacles will be provided.


• No bicycles, skateboards, or skates are allowed. The walk route is wheelchair & stroller accessible.


• The event sponsors retain the right to deny participation to any animal due to health or behavior reasons.
  

The movie "Rango" will begin at 9:00 p.m. on Sage St. This delightful story is about a sheltered chameleon living as an ordinary family pet, while facing a major identity crisis. After all, how high can you aim when your whole purpose in life is to blend in? When Rango accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt - a lawless outpost populated by the desert's most wily and whimsical creatures - the less-than-courageous lizard suddenly finds he stands out. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt.

Everyone is welcome to bring their chairs or blankets and enjoy this movie with their families and friends. There is no fee for the movie.

"We are looking forward to this new event," said Sharon Crosby, special events coordinator for the City of Toccoa. "Everyone loves their pets and enjoys showing them off. It will also be a good time to get some information about what our community offers as services for our animals."

“In a pickle” at Sage Market

This month’s Sage Market, sponsored by the Toccoa Main Street program, will feature not only fresh produce and hand crafted items, but several new additions to the event. Located in Historic Downtown Toccoa in the Stephens County Market Building at 409 Broad Street, the market will be held this Saturday, July 9 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.

Each month the Sage Market joins together with the Stephens County Farmers Market and provides farm-fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, seed plants, herbs, honey, flowers, and eggs as well as baked goods and desserts, handmade children’s clothes and accessories, quilts and other special gifts.

New this Saturday there will have a pickling station at the market for those interested in learning how to make pickles. Shoppers can purchase pickle ingredients from the local farmers and then make a pint of pickles with the help of the farmers. There will be a nominal fee to cover the cost of the jar, sugar, vinegar, etc. A copy of the recipe will be included. If interested, post a reply on the Stephens County Farmers Market Facebook page in order to ensure there will be enough supplies.

"Fresh Market Jam" music with Chuck Taylor and friends will also be featured this Saturday. Come and enjoy some good "foot stomping music" while shopping. There will also be samples of some of the fruits and vegetables along with some new and different recipes.
Sage Market is located in the Stephens County Market building at 409 Broad Street, next to Los Primos restaurant. Plenty of parking is available and is within walking distance of downtown Toccoa.

The dates for the 2011 season are August 13, September 10, and October 8.

City of Toccoa Receives Heritage Tourism Grants for Historic Theater Projects

The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Tourism Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), and the Fox Theater Institute announce that they have jointly awarded five grants totalling $10,000 for heritage tourism projects located throughout the state. The partnership grant program was created in response to the increasing interest Georgians have in the preservation and promotion of historic theaters located within their communities. This special Historic Theater Heritage Tourism Grant Program is funded by GDEcD and will be administered by HPD, with technical support from the Fox Theater Institute.

The City of Toccoa has been awarded $2,000 to produce a historic structures report for the Schaefer Center (formerly the Ritz Theater) in downtown Toccoa. The historic structures report will provide information regarding documentary, graphic and physical information about the building. The City intends to use a historic preservation planner/architect to produce the historic structures report, which will then be the framework for all future restoration work, as it will identify the theater’s architectural history. This will provide the necessary data for preserving the historic structure and for the on-going care of the building.

In addition to the City of Toccoa, four other projects were funded:

The Statesboro Arts Council received $2,500 for a puppet show history of Bulloch County at the Averitt Center for the Arts.

The President Theatre, Inc. of Manchester received $2,000 for a brochure, signage and marketing to promote the theater.

The Springer Opera House Arts Association, Inc. of Columbus received $1,715 to produce a brochure for the opera house.

The Theatre Guild Valdosta received $960 to produce a brochure and slideshow on the history of the Dosta Theater.

The Washington Little Theater, Inc. received $825 to produce a promotional brochure and upgrade the theater’s website.

HPD Director David Crass said "This 50%/50% matching grant program was created by the three organizations to promote and raise awareness of Georgia’s historic theaters through heritage tourism. Even though these are modest ‘seed’ grants, their ripple effect often spurs other preservation/tourism projects at the theater, as well as other historic resources within the community."

GDEcD’s Tourism Product Development Director Bruce Green said, "Georgia’s historic theaters represent one of the more significant landmarks within a community. We are pleased to have been able to offer this funding, thereby providing the ‘seed’ capital to assess and promote the cultural infrastructure found in our local communities."

Fox Theatre Institute Director of Restoration Molly Fortune said, "this grant program reinforces our mission to assist historic theater throughout Georgia."

Main Street Toccoa’s Information and Graphics Specialist Katy Sides said "this grant provides a wonderful opportunity for downtown Toccoa and the cultural community of Toccoa-Stephens County as the historic structure report would enable us to learn the architectural history of the building and the best way to move forward."