Frugal is the new action verb! Borin’ the new profit! Coach the new corporate jet! Lord have Mercy! I’m talkin’ beer is the new martini! Bungalows the new mansions! Five-hundred-dollar used trucks the new limos! And to top it all off : Wife slappin’ is Saudi Arabia’s new lavish-spendin’ punishment! My dreams of caviar and sparklin’ 14k-gold rimmed crystal goblets filled with perfectly chilled pink champagne are flat GONE WITH THE WIND! Talk ‘about Sob Fest City! Wait a minute! What’d I just hear on the TV? STOP THE PRESSES! Bazillionaire George Soros just said: “The economic free fall has been stopped; the collapse of the financial system averted!” Whoop it up y’all! Sling that cowboy hat sky high and start buyin’, buyin’, buyin’ stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities, lots ‘n lots of  full-page ads in the Morgan County Citizen! 

    I’m feelin’ right bullish and you know what that means! Yeah! I’m gonna celebrate the beginnin’ of the recovery by winnin’ Rutledge’s Country Fair Star Singin’ Contest at the Rutledge Country Fair this Saturday, May 16!  Momma! Break out the Karaoke machine so I can practice in my brand spankin’ new cowgirl boots . . . 1, 2, 3 . . . check . . . check! Ready: “You keep sayin’ you’ve got somethin’ for me. Somethin’ you call love, but confess. You’ve been messin’ where you shouldn’t be messin’ . . . And, now someone else is gettin’ all your best . . . These boots are made for walkin’ and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.” Honey, this is a winnin’ song if there ever was one and we’ve Southern Fried it too! Ok . . . so the Country Fair Star Singin’ contest goes from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. and there’s only a $10 entry fee to sing! Y’all call 706-557-0211 to reserve your time slot or just walk up on Saturday and give it a whirl!  Oh and there’s gonna be a fab parade this year that pays tribute to our Armed Forces with WWII veterans servin’ as Grand Marshals! There are lots of rides and entertainment for the kids and great food and crafts for everyone! Yeehaw! The fun starts at 9 a.m. and goes until 4 p.m.! 

    This just in. The Madison Kidney Center, located just past Morgan Memorial Hospital on South Main Street across from Pennington, is set to open this month, possibly as soon as next week! Ok this group offers expert dialysis treatment right here at home in Morgan County and it’s run by Medical Director Dr. Beze A. Adogu and his team of Dr. Khudr Burjak, Dr. Martine Noukelak and Adrianne Thompson, MS, RD, LD. The Madison Kidney Center is part of the Athens Kidney Center. Keep watchin’ this column for more on this local health care story!

    Summer camp. Hey! Cyclin’ class instructor and Madisonian Emily Buck wanted me to tell y’all that Madison Fitness Center located at 1290 Eatonton Road in Madison is offerin’ three weeks of summer camp for kids! Each camp is scheduled from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. First up is June 22 through 26 for rising pre-K and Kindergarten kids, July 6 through 10 is for rising first through third graders and July 13 through 17 is for rising fourth to sixth graders. Ok so each day will be filled with outside fun games like capture the flag, followed by a fitness class like martial arts, kid’s bootcamp, yoga or zumba and  topped off with board games and snacks! Each Friday is Water Olympics Day with a water slide, games, relays and more! Love it! Cost is $70 per child for members and $90 for non-members. Call 706-342-9200 to sign up your kid or drop your money by at any time this month!

    Oh and I almost forgot! Congrats to Angie Sims of Rutledge for winnin’ the super fantastic Basket of Love sponsored by Madison Main Street and 13 Madison downtown businesses includin’: Adrian’s Place, Amelia’s Apparel & Accessories, Barkin’ Dog Shoe Co., Godfrey-Cox, In High Cotton, Laughing Moon, Lilywind Kids, Madison ChopHouse Grille, Madison Markets, The Madison Gift & Café, The Spa at the James Madison Inn, Salon West and Whidby Jewelers!

    Whew! I’m flat wore out with all this FANTASTIC Biz Buzz, but before I go I want to remind y’all to head out to Rutledge Friday night for Music in the Park beginnin’ at 7 p.m.! Ok that’s it! Y’all have a beautiful, safe week, be real sweet to Momma, shop local and advertise local! I’ll see all y’all next week: Same time. Same Number One Weekly Newspaper in the Great State of Georgia!