Town and Country Kafe’s most recent health inspection score, from an inspection last December. The restaurant lost a point because of a missing drain plug on its dumpster. It has since been replaced. (Photo/Libby Hobbs)
Local News
Aidan Dellinger (left), a junior student at Oglethorpe County High School, and Su Moo (right), a senior student at Oglethorpe County High School, throw chalk at runners as they run along the Oglethorpe County High School Color Run in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, on Saturday, April 26, 2025. In total, roughly 40 runners signed up to run in the Color Run, each contributing to funding The CAYA House. (Photo/Felix Scheyer)
Photos: OCHS Color Run raises $500 for CAYA House
Felix Scheyer
Nearly 40 runners participated in this year’s Oglethorpe County High School Color Run, moving along the roughly 1.5-mile course while being covered in handfuls of colorful chalk thrown by members of the OCHS National Honor Society on Saturday.
Friday, May 2, 2025
A black bear in a pecan tree off Crawford Smithonia Road caused a stir on Friday morning. The bear was later named Elvis. (Dink NeSmith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Bear sighted in Crawford, named Elvis
Leighton Dancy
When Tony Resop let out his dogs at 7:30 a.m. Friday, the last thing he expected to see was a black bear in his neighbor’s pecan tree. “My first instinct was, ‘Oh my god, there’s a cow in the tree,’” Resop said. “My jaw just dropped. I said, ‘There is a bear in the tree.’ I just couldn’t believe it.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
From left: company dancers Lucy Eller, Marlee Waldroup, Molly Rose Graham, and Grace Foland practice a dance routine paired with a song titled "Interlude: Dawn" during their ballet II/III class led by instructor Jessica Palmer at the Lena Wise Community Center on April 7, 2025. Palmer is the owner and instructor of Jessica's School of Dance, a complete dance program for young girls of all ages. (Photo / Lux Corrona)
Palmer’s small school helps dancers grow
Lux Corrona
At Jessica’s School of Dance, it’s about more than winning competitions. “We always joke, ‘This is not ‘Dance Moms’,” said Amber Waldroup, mother of 11-year-old Marlee Waldroup. “This place is like a family. And you know, these girls are my girls. And the moms are some of my best friends.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Xander Buska (from left) and Demarco Martinez, who are fifth-graders, and Jameson Duke, a sixth-grader, complete the live bird judging portion of the Area Poultry Judging Competition at the Oglethorpe County Extension Office on April 24. Their skills in handling the birds help them evaluate egg production traits, among other factors. (Photo/Lilly Stone)
Eyes on the poultry prize: Youth put skills to the test
Lilly Stone
When some students begin their involvement with the poultry judging team, birds are already a part of their lives. For others, it comes later, in unexpected ways.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
District nurse Kristina Turner (left) and EMS director Josh Robinson stand with the new SaveStation at OCHS. “One of the goals of this project was to try to get AEDs as accessible to people in the county as possible,” Robinson said. (Photo/Emery Pikel)
More AEDs can be found in the county
Emery Pikel
A collaboration between the Oglethorpe County EMS, Sheriff’s Office and school district has helped automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in various areas around the county. There are 15 AEDs in county buildings and vehicles, 16 in patrol cars and 18 on school campuses.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Elizabeth Newton and her son, David, pose for a portrait in Elizabeth’s Cumming residence on April 7, 2025. Elizabeth holds one of four genealogical history books she’s published, which features ancestors who will be honored at a memorial service this weekend. (Photo/Julianna Duennes Russ)
Millstone Memorial: Two centuries later, family to hold service for ancestors
Julianna Duennes Russ
On Feb. 4, 1837, an Oglethorpe County man named Nathan Harris offered 1 acre of land along Millstone Creek to Millstone Baptist Church. Nearly 200 years later, his descendants are returning to that land to honor him, and two other ancestors, at a memorial service on Sunday.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Susan Shaw (top left), her daughter Jennifer Johns (top right), and son-in-law Josh Johns (center) pose with grandchildren Madelyn and Levi Johns (bottom left and right) for a photo at Hickory Hill Farms. (Photo/ Lilly Stone)
Oglethorpe’s family-owned farms persevere through changing times
Nine-year-old Madelyn Johns spends her Friday afternoons running through rows of crops spread across her family's 12 acres of plantings at Hickory Hill Farms in Carlton. Across the field, her youngest brother Matthew, 6, clutches a handful of freshly pulled carrots.
(Graphic/Jesse Wood)
‘Nobody is exempt’: State, others must protect Broad River
Jesse Wood
Michael Moody has always been around kayaks, whether it was building them at 13 years old or owning Broad River Outpost, a kayaking and canoeing business on the Broad River, for more than 43 years.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Nearly 50 family, friends and colleagues gather at the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter on April 13, 2025 to honor Katie Griffeth, the late veterinary technician who was beloved by the local community. Many shared stories amongst the laughter and tears of the day as they remembered Griffeth through a clinic dedication. (Photo/Jennifer Xia)
MOAS dedicates clinic to longtime vet tech
Jennifer Xia
Katie Griffeth was a constant, comforting presence at Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter (MOAS) for more than two decades. She was a familiar face crouching near kennels, assisting with surgeries or just bustling throughout the hallways.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025