Firefly Trail

Runners start the Winterville Snowflake 10K in 2023. This year’s race is the first of six in the Firefly Trail Race Series, which includes two races in Oglethorpe County. (Photo/Olivia Shapiro)

Runners start the Winterville Snowflake 10K in 2023. This year’s race is the first of six in the Firefly Trail Race Series, which includes two races in Oglethorpe County. (Photo/Olivia Shapiro)

Winterville Snowflake 10K first in six-race Firefly series

Ansley Gavlak
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Runners and walkers across Oglethorpe County will ring in the new year with the return of the seventh annual Firefly Trail Race Series, a six-race lineup designed to bring the community together and raise awareness of the Firefly Trail.
Realtor Martii Moats and her mentor Melisa McCue host an open house for the historic Arnold Cotton Gin on Railroad Street in Arnoldsville. Moats envisions someone could turn the property into a microbrewery or event venue. (Alex Perri/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Realtor Martii Moats and her mentor Melisa McCue host an open house for the historic Arnold Cotton Gin on Railroad Street in Arnoldsville. Moats envisions someone could turn the property into a microbrewery or event venue. (Alex Perri/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Historic Arnold Cotton Gin Hits Market in Rural Georgia

Alex Perri
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
It’s golden hour on a warm fall evening, and realtor Martii Moats is standing inside what used to be the Arnold Cotton Gin.  Once owned by Nathaniel Dowdy Arnold, the gin was a hub for commerce and trade along the railroad in Arnoldsville (Arnold’s namesake).
Crawford City Clerk Amy Wall-Lance (right) discusses the meeting agenda to the city council on Oct. 14. Willie Torres (left), who recently replaced Sandra Sheridan as a council member, and Brenda Butler (middle) listen to Wall-Lance. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Crawford City Clerk Amy Wall-Lance (right) discusses the meeting agenda to the city council on Oct. 14. Willie Torres (left), who recently replaced Sandra Sheridan as a council member, and Brenda Butler (middle) listen to Wall-Lance. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Crawford to resubmit trail expansion grant

Ansley Gavlak
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
CLARIFICATION: Information was incorrect about which company was hired to clear the city streets from overgrown brush and limbs in the Lexington City Council minutes and the Oct. 30, 2025 print edition of The Oglethorpe Echo. The correct information is in the story below.
People walk, run and bike on the Model Mile of the Firefly Trail in Maxeys, the only completed portion of the trail in Oglethorpe County. The county recently received a grant for $2.9 million to extend the trail to the Greene County line. (Photo/Gianna Rodriguez)

People walk, run and bike on the Model Mile of the Firefly Trail in Maxeys, the only completed portion of the trail in Oglethorpe County. The county recently received a grant for $2.9 million to extend the trail to the Greene County line. (Photo/Gianna Rodriguez)

County receives $2.9 million to extend Firefly Trail to Greene

Elizabeth Kim
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Residents have put the Model Mile of the Firefly Trail to use since its completion in 2021.  “As soon as the mile went down in Maxeys, all the neighbors started getting out and walking and walking their dogs and riding their bicycles,” said Mary Cook, president of Firefly Trail Inc.
Bikers often ride along the 1.1-mile paved trail in Athens’ Dudley Park. The Athens Physical Therapy Ticket to Ride bike ride, which is scheduled for Saturday, runs through Oglethorpe County, along the route of the old railbed. (Photo/Anna Izquierdo)

Bikers often ride along the 1.1-mile paved trail in Athens’ Dudley Park. The Athens Physical Therapy Ticket to Ride bike ride, which is scheduled for Saturday, runs through Oglethorpe County, along the route of the old railbed. (Photo/Anna Izquierdo)

Ticket to Ride helps raise awareness of Firefly Trail

Anna Izquierdo
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
The idea for a rail trail began at an Oglethorpe County meeting 15 years ago, when Mary Cook attended as the county planning and zoning commissioner.  She thought it was a “perfect idea” to create a trail that would show off the county’s beauty and also be a “great economic engine.
Anne Garner (from left), Carol Black and John Kissane worked together to create the Firefly Trail Race Series, a collection of four races in Oglethorpe County and nearby cities. The Maxeys Model Mile 5K is scheduled for Saturday, May 18.

Anne Garner (from left), Carol Black and John Kissane worked together to create the Firefly Trail Race Series, a collection of four races in Oglethorpe County and nearby cities. The Maxeys Model Mile 5K is scheduled for Saturday, May 18.

Maxeys 5K next race in Firefly Trail series

Owen Warden
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Anne Garner had an idea after moving from metro Atlanta to about 5 miles south of Maxeys about six years ago. She noticed few race opportunities in Oglethorpe County and wanted to start one.
Runners started the 10K near the Crawford Baptist Church. The race was part of the 18th annual Restoration Labor Day 5K/10K on Monday. (Photo/Nimra Ahmad)

Runners started the 10K near the Crawford Baptist Church. The race was part of the 18th annual Restoration Labor Day 5K/10K on Monday. (Photo/Nimra Ahmad)

More than 150 runners compete in annual Restoration 5K

Nimra Ahmad
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Under an overcast sky and the occasional stray raindrop, Crawford hosted the 18th Annual Restoration Labor Day 5K/10K on Sept. 5.    Hosted by the Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce, the annual race is part of an ongoing effort to fund the city’s depot.

Program will help Arnoldsville residents with water bills

News Staff
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Help is coming for Arnoldsville residents who are behind on their water bills.   The city unanimously passed a proposal on Oct. 21 to offer the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), which provides funds to assist low-income households with water and wastewater bills.