By Kathryn McBroom
Staff Writer

On Nov. 26, the annual Thanksgiving Dinner for shut-ins and the disadvantaged will be held at Morgan County High School cafeteria.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Those who wish to help with deliveries should arrive at 10:45 a.m. Anyone knowing of families or individuals who will need dinner on that day, should give the information to Angela Daniel (706) 342-4260 or Mozelle Gilbert at (706) 752-0844. You are encouraged to contact them with information or requests for rides to the event by Nov. 24.

The dinner is put on every year by Calvary Baptist Church, with help from other local churches. Organizers are not asking for donations just volunteers to serve, prepare, and deliver food.

By: Jon Tonge; Authorized MMCC, Film Critic

James DeWolf was a United States Senator from Rhode Island and a seaman captured by the British during the American Revolution. He is the historical patriarch of the DeWolf family whose roots and riches run deep in the Northeast.

The DeWolf family, led by James, also controlled the largest slave trading operation in the history of the United States. The family empire consisted of sugar plantations in Cuba used for making rum distilled by the family in Bristol, R.I. which was then shipped to Africa and traded for slaves who were brought back and sold in America in what was known as the “Triangle Trade.”

In this manner did the DeWolf family accumulate power and wealth that lasts to this day.

Filmmaker Katrina Browne learned of her ancestor’s involvement in the slave trade through a booklet on family history written by her grandmother, though she says the knowledge was always there, repressed and unspoken. All families have skeletons in their closets; some are just larger than others.

Browne decided to contact her many disparate cousins – nearly 200 – and invite them to join her in retracing this Triangle Trade common to their past in an attempt to open up a dialogue within their own family on race in America and their role in it. The ensuing documentary, "Traces of the Trade: A Story From the Deep North," attempts to tackle the elusive question of responsibility in the modern era.

Of the 200 invitations, nine members of family take the journey with Browne.  The resulting documentary is a frank look at the uncomfortable task of confronting a legacy of complicity with one of the darkest parts of American history.

By Dick Hodgetts
Staff Writer

The Children’s Ferst Foundation honored the Ferst Fifty Club and its business partners at the fourth annual celebration held at the Ice House Underground Café and Shops. Dr. Wayne Myers, president, recognized donors to the Children’s Ferst Foundation. In particular, the initial challenge contribution of Ralph and Donna Blanchard was recognized as the original start to the Ferst Fifty Club.

Karen Strelecki and the Madison Artists Guild opened the Ponder Cottage in Town Park as part of the celebration.
Food for the event was provided by Cindy Dycus and served by Richard Pridgett.  Russ Weaver at the Bottle Shop provided beverages.

    Printed in the November 12, 2009 edition.

Photos by Angelina Bellebuono

In celebration of a holiday known for ghouls, ghosties and goblins,
Morgan Countians take to the streets,
the parks, the neighborhoods.
There, costumed revelry begins...
Here, a glimpse into what
Halloween looks like- locally.

From rutledge to madison, and to places between, halloween goes ghoulish.

By Kathryn McBroom
Staff Writer

On Saturday, Nov. 7, head out to Bostwick for the 20th annual Cotton Gin Festival. Started by June Whittaker as a way to save the Susie Agnes Hotel in downtown Bostwick, each year’s earnings support the building’s ongoing restoration.
During the festival large floral arrangements will be on display in memory of June Whittaker. Cotton Gin Festival T-shirts go on sale on November 6, at Bostwick City Hall. Long-sleeved shirts are $15, and short-sleeved shirts are $10.

Gin Run
8 a.m.
Runners should meet at the Community Center on Church Street. Prepare for a four-mile run and a one-mile fun run. Prizes will be provided for each age group.

Parade
11 a.m.
WSB-TV’s Karen Minton will be this year’s Grand Marshal. Participants must register before 10 a.m. on the morning of the festival; organizers are asking for a $10 donation. Tractors should line up on Rock Hill Road, and all others should meet on Malcolm Circle.

Parking
Festival goers are asked to park to in the reserved areas; drivers are permitted to drop off passengers at the festival’s entryway. Motor transport to and from parking areas and handicap parking will be provided, although festival directors ask that you have a valid handicap parking permit. Attendees will have a required $3 parking fee.

Music/Events
9 a.m. to Noon: Out of the Ashes-Blue Grass
Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Blue Heaven-Blue Grass
1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Dance Team
2 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.: Local Musicians
2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Blue Heaven-Blue Grass
3:30 p.m. to Demonstration: Will include a martial arts demo

Civil War re-enactments will also be performed throughout the day.

Food/Arts & Crafts/Kiddie Korner

Get your touch-screen skills ready!

Morgan County residents will go to the polls next Tuesday, Nov. 3 in a county-wide ELOST (Education Local Option Sales Tax) election, while those in Madison’s District 5 will vote in the sole contested city council election between Bonnie Binion and incumbent Michael Naples.

To that end, what follows is an explication, a guide to Morgan County’s date with democracy Tuesday.

Compiled by Kathryn Schiliro

ELOST Ballot: All Morgan County residents registered to vote can participate in the ELOST election by reporting to their varying precincts.

Madison Ballots: In the City of Madison, all registered residents are to report to the Madison Fire Station (located next to City Hall) to participate in city elections. For Districts 1, 3 and 4, residents will receive a ballot listing only the sole-candidate mayoral race; for District 2, the ballot will include the options for both mayor and city council member, both sole-candidate races; in District 5, however, the options will include the mayoral race and the race for city council between incumbent Michael Naples and former council member Bonnie Binion.

Because there is one contested race in the city, ballots must be printed for all districts in Madison regardless of whether the races in other districts are uncontested. Because there were no contested races in Bostwick or Rutledge – both cities had mayors and city council seats up for re-election – and no write-in candidates qualified, there were no ballots printed. (No write-in candidates qualified in Madison, either.)
To vote in both the Madison and Morgan County elections, Madison residents must report to both the fire station and their county precinct, respectively.