WARNING TO READERS:  This column is not safe for persons prone to dizziness, those in frequent need of smelling salts or those with overall weak constitutions. Open this door at your own risk. CREEEEEK . . . .. .

    Hypnotic!  Spiraling circles! Spiraling, spiraling, spiraling. Out of control. Never-ending. Spiraling into the infinite universe inhibited only by small, sparkling lights. You’re traveling through another dimension – a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. It is the middle ground between light and shadow. A journey into a wondrous Park whose boundaries are that of imagination. The time is five minutes to 12 -- midnight. There is no more darkness. The place is Madison, Ga., in Town Park and this is the eve of a summer of light. Because even at midnight, it’s high noon. The hottest on record. And, you’re about to spend it with Momma . . . in  . . . The Twilight Zone.

    Ding dang! I can’t sleep! It’s hotter than a $2 pistol in here! And, who in the Sam Hill has left the front door wide open? I reckon I’d best get out of bed and see . . .SPIT FIRE! Momma’s done flown the coop! Do y’all hear that? Bongo drums at midnight! Oh. My. Gosh! Momma’s sleep walkin’! Y’all call the police while I go find her! What’s that up ahead at Town Park? Shasta! Momma’s dressed in a fairy Firefly suit dancin’ with  batons THAT ARE ON FIRE! Quick! Help me push Momma into the fountain! SPLASH!  SLAP!

Momma! What in the Sam Hill are you doin’ way up there in that big Magnolia tree over at the Madison Baptist Church? Lord have mercy! Don’t you know Pastor Jim Ross is gonna have a FIT if he catches you up there? What do you mean you’re stuck? Momma! That’s what you get for tryin’ to steal Magnolia blossoms! I reckon I’m gonna have to come up there and get you before the Devil does! Somebody give me a boast! Thanks! Hey! It’s right fun climbin’ this tree! Wait a doggone minute! Momma! Who’s that green-faced, red-headed fool in white overalls danglin’ up there above you? Ding dang! He looks just like one of them Oompa Loompas! Hey! Oompa Loompa Man! Untangle Momma’s pocketbook from that branch so she can get loose from this tree! Why thanks! Well come on Momma! Let’s get outta this tree! And, what did that Oompa Loompa say ‘bout Movie Night at Town Park on July 9 at dusk? Yikes! Would you look at what those branches did to my toe nails? Spit Fire! Now I need a pedicure pronto! Let’s head over to The Spa at the James Madison ‘cause they’ve got the BEST DEAL IN MORGAN COUNTY!  More on Movie Night later . . . .

The sweltering heat blisters the hot, yellow metal of the colossal Tigercat machine. Its operator Trey Terrell maneuvers the arm and claw of the machine with grace; it's as if he and the machine are one. Trey gathers limbs, branches and other tree debris with the claw and feeds the Bandit wood chipper machine that grinds wood and shoots into the back of an 18 wheeler trailer. The wood chips cascade to the floor of the truck like snow.
Trey gathers these wood chips as “environmental cleanup” of his logging business and sells the chips to power companies who burn the chips rather than coal for energy. Wood chipping is soon to become the future of the logging business.

“This is what logging is going to be,” Trey said.

As of now, the company has five logging crews that cut down trees and haul away the bigger portions of the trees and one wood chipping crew, which is the newest addition to the business. However, in the future, Trey plans to slowly change the business to dispose of the logging crews and go purely to wood chipping crews only since he feels the demand for wood chips is on the rise.

The sweltering heat blisters the hot, yellow metal of the colossal Tigercat machine. Its operator Trey Terrell maneuvers the arm and claw of the machine with grace; it's as if he and the machine are one. Trey gathers limbs, branches and other tree debris with the claw and feeds the Bandit wood chipper machine that grinds wood and shoots into the back of an 18 wheeler trailer. The wood chips cascade to the floor of the truck like snow.
Trey gathers these wood chips as “environmental cleanup” of his logging business and sells the chips to power companies who burn the chips rather than coal for energy. Wood chipping is soon to become the future of the logging business.

“This is what logging is going to be,” Trey said.

As of now, the company has five logging crews that cut down trees and haul away the bigger portions of the trees and one wood chipping crew, which is the newest addition to the business. However, in the future, Trey plans to slowly change the business to dispose of the logging crews and go purely to wood chipping crews only since he feels the demand for wood chips is on the rise.

By Kathryn McBroom
Staff Writer

Everett and Jane Royal have done it again. The husband and wife duo are the recipients of the Georgia Cities Foundation’s 2010 Downtown Renaissance Award.

The prestigious award is given each year to a person, or group, from the private sector.

The winners must have demonstrated a significant impact on the revitalization of their city’s downtown area to be eligible. Also taken into account is the individual’s involvement with municipal agencies to achieve their goal, noteworthy philanthropic activity and the amount of resourceful creativity displayed in their work.

The Royals were nominated by Madison’s Downtown Development Authority.

“This isn’t their first time in public service,” said Monica Callahan.

“They’ve privately invested in downtown; Town 220-there’s been a big change in that area.”

The Royals moved to Madison in 1996 after falling in love with the city. Similar to the Connecticut town Jane grew up in, originally the couple did not have the vision for downtown Madison that they share now.

“Before moving here, Everett promised, as a real estate developer, he wouldn’t do anything in the town we moved to,” laughed Jane.

Starting with an old fixer upper Everett spotted in a downtown neighborhood, the couple quickly changed their plans for their future in Madison.

“This [Madison Markets] was originally the old cotton warehouse and fertilizer operation,” said Everett.

After acquiring and renovating the Madison Markets property in 2001, the Royals quickly expanded in that area. They began building the now complete James Madison Inn over three years ago.

And, the winner is . . . THE MORGAN COUNTY CITIZEN! That’s right y’all! The Morgan County Citizen is once again the Number One Weekly Newspaper in the Great State of Georgia! Yay! That’s right y’all! We won top honors at last week’s annual Better Newspaper Contest put on by the Georgia Press Association with our staff earning First Place in General Excellence in our circulation category! Second place in General Excellence went to The Blackshear Times and third place went to our great Watkinsville neighbor The Oconee Enterprise!
    Hey! I know! I’m gonna bake up some blueberry pie and some peach cobbler for the fabulous and famous Morgan County Citizen staff to celebrate! And, honey nothin’ makes it better than buyin’ local! First up, let’s head to Bostwick to Spence Blueberries! This is the perf place to go . . . head to Bostwick at 2040 Hardeman Mill Road and honey you can pick your own or buy ‘em already picked and packaged! Oh and they also have blackberries! Give ‘em a call at 706-614-4522 or check out their website at www.spenceblueberries.com! Honey, as soon as I get those berries I gonna head over to Momma’s big house and let her bake ‘em up in a delish pie! Yum!
    Great Goodness Alive! The peaches are flat perf over at CJ Orchards in Rutledge! Now listen y’all . . . I do believe the Georgia Peach got its fame from right smack here in Morgan County in this wonderful orchard! Get your bowhonkers over to CJ Orchards immediately for some perf peaches! Ok so it’s located at 1251 Old Mill Road off of Newborn Road, but you can  just follow the signs. And, honey if you get lost just call ‘em at 706-557-2635! I think I’m gonna buy me a whole dang bushel of peaches! Hey and Momma says it’s right easy to freeze peaches!