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Jesup, Georgia 31545

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

75

Lakeland isnt singing The Downtown Plywood Blues

My Opinion
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If you placed a stethoscope on the heart of small-town America, youd barely hear a ba-bump, babump. But before you write the obitDINK uary, take a NeSMITH trip down Chairman Highway 37 between Adel and Homerville. When you get to Lakeland, take a look and listen. The urban-area tug of hope is emptying small towns. And while too many rural towns have plastered plywood over their darkened and dusty storefronts, Lakeland is alive in South Georgia. Lakeland is not challenge-free. But after decades of exodus, the trend is reversed. Valdostas growth is pushing Lanier Countys population upward40 percent in the last 10 years. Some of the newcomerslike retired Xerox vice president Cindy Pullen and her husband, Mickare bringing new ideas and energy to the town of 3,366. Others are coming for the lower cost of living. But the core of the revival is led by locals who refuse to let their town die. Thanks to vision, leadership and generous wallets, Lakeland isnt singing the Downtown Plywood Blues. Sandy Sanders, a friend and former associate, invited me to visit his hometown. After retiring as publisher of The Valdosta Daily Times, Sandy, along with his wife, Diane, replanted their roots where they grew up. Today, he is running the chamber of commerce and the industrial authority. And what a story he has to tell. In a few hours, heres what I saw: Georgia Olive Farm is pioneering a new crop and boosting abandoned brick high school to the edge of town, creating the Threatte Center, an arts and civic facility. The 300-ton structure was sawed into quarters for the one-mile move. Its a flawless monument to can-do, honoring former educators Jim and Mary Threatte. (When Jimmy Sullivan was coaching in Naylor, he became a good friend of Jim Threatte.) Check out this link: : http://tinyurl.com/dx3hrcf. Get ready to gasp, Wow! The Highway 37 jewel is loaded with wow-factor. Maybe my favorite attraction was the Milltown Murals, depicting life in 1925, when Milltown became Lakeland. Nell Roquemore commissioned the first mural in 1998. Now, the artwork of Ralph Waldrop and Billy Love is in 35 locations throughout downtown. Sandy explained that kiosks are being added, so visitors can hear a recorded message about each mural, in a circa-1925 voice. Each year, theres a Milltown Murals Motorcade, featuring vehicles of that era. (Google: Milltown Murals Motorcade.) Every town should be so lucky to have a Nell Patten Roquemore. The 89-year-old heiress to the Patten Seed Company is Lakelands matriarch. (Nanelle Bacon is her cousin, on the Purcell side.) The morning Sandy and I walked through Nells back door, we smelled cookies in the oven. Folks were coming to the Threatte Center that night. Nells generosity doesnt stop with her checkbook. While I munched on chocolate chip cookies, she autographed two of her books about Lanier County. The thought occurred: I might sit here and read them both. But Highway 37 was beckoning. I promised to returnsoon. And if you want to hear the babump, ba-bump of a vibrant small towns heart, visit Lakeland. Nell just might bake some cookies for you. dnesmith@cninewspapers.com

Thirty-five Milltown Murals are scattered about downtown Lakeland. The murals depict the community back in 1925 when its name was changed from Milltown to Lakeland. Kiosks with recorded narrations are being added.

The people in the murals are Lanier County residents, past and present.

agri-tourism. People are streaming in to see what Jay Shaw, sons Jason and Sam, and nephew Kevin are doing. They are commercially harvesting the first olives east of the Mississippi since the 1800s. Their olive oil is drawing rave reviews from some of the nations top chefs. And they are grinding homegrown Gayla Grits, too. (georgiaolivefarm.com) Sandy knew Id like the dirtroad ramble to The Ford Farm. Banker Larry Lee and his wife, Ann, have assembled a village of vintage clapboard and log structures under ancient live oaks by a lake. Modern amenities have been added, but nothing detracts from the mission: to create a 125-year step back into time. As I was checking out one of the cabins, two fat quail waddled by. They knew I left my .20-gauge at home. (www.the fordfarm.com) Over on the edge of the 4,000-

acre, cypress-studded Banks Lake, we walked through the Gov. Ed Rivers home. The Lanier County Preservation Society now owns the former governors house and 25 acres. With its walls lined with framed newspaper clippings and photos, it, too, is like stepping back in time. Sitting on a table is the governors top hat that he wore to the premiere of Gone with the Wind in 1939. A photograph shows him riding with author Margaret Mitchell in a celebration parade. What a large legacy for a small town. And theyre preserving it. On West Main Street, I peeked into the headquarters of FMB Bancshares. Its a showcase, created by Larry Lee, when he was chairman of the bank holding company. Ingenuity and willpower are two of Lakelands biggest assets. Thats what it took to relocate the

Jay Shaw of Georgia Olive Farms in Lanier County explains the necessity of pollinator trees in the orchard. Shaw, his sons and a nephew introduced the first commercial olive crop east of the Mississippi since the 1800s.

Nell Patten Roquemore is the matriarch of Lakeland, Ga. She commissioned the Milltown Murals and has authored two books on Lanier County. Her family founded Patten Seed Company.