churches and non-profits. There is
festival food, too, such as straw-
berry shortcake, funnel cakes,
snow cones, barbecue pork and
chicken, tomato sandwiches,
flame-grilled hamburgers and
chicken sandwiches.
It’s a mix of offerings that came
about by design. “Diane Reed has
pretty much shaped the Geranium
Festival into what it is today,”
Galbreath said. “She’s been a pio-
neer in creating what is often
called one of the best festivals in
Georgia. She’s had such good rela-
tionships with our prime vendors
that they want to return every year.
And see, retaining popular artisans
yearly who create things you can
find nowhere else, that is key.”
“Diane knows how to really see
what a newly applying vendor has
to offer, and how that fits with
what is already offered. A lot of
thought goes into the exact spot
each vendor occupies, especially
the new ones, and which vendors
are neighboring one another. She’s
a genius at giving festival goers a
sense of diversity. Everywhere you
look, there’s a tantalizing mix of
things to see and purchase.”
Reed is deeply rooted in Henry
County. As director of the Henry
County Senior Services, she helps
provide a variety of services to the
county’s thriving senior communi-
ty. “She’s so plugged in. She
knows where resources are, how to
use technology, and how to get
people to work together to make
everything better. She’s incredibly
creative and dedicated and let me
tell you, she isn’t afraid of hard
work, believe me.”
The McDonough Lions Club has
many services it offers that require
funding, such as The Haven
House, the Henry County
Scholarship Fund, eye exams and
prescription glasses for Henry
County residents, free eye screen-
ing for students in Henry County
Schools, the Georgia Lions Camp
for the Blind, the Georgia Lions
Lighthouse Foundation, Leader
Dogs for the Blind, and
Southeastern Guide Dogs.
Reed has created, through the
years, a legacy of having funded
those operations through a grow-
ing Geranium Festival, Galbreath
said. “Each year any leftover funds
raised through the festival are fun-
neled into these programs, and
most all the money stays in our
community to do good right here
in Henry County.”
As Reed takes a well-deserved
rest after this festival, Galbreath
said he knows she will be sorely
missed. “She’s just a wonderful
lady, very caring, organized, dedi-
cated to her husband Dennis and
her children and grandchildren. No
question, she’s one person who has
made a difference over the years
for our county.”
The Henry County Times
May 11, 2016
Page 6
Festival,
from front
the meeting’s agenda, which was
not classified as a public hearing.
The
regular
Board
of
Commissioners meeting is a public
meeting.)
Chairman Tommy Smith asked if
the board wished to move to allow
public comment, but Bruce
Holmes’ motion did not receive a
second.
“I think he should be allowed to
respond to those comments,” said
Holmes. “But that’s just my per-
sonal opinion.”
Smith said that doing so could
open a “Pandora’s box” and per-
haps lead to the agreement not
being approved at all. But it went
straight to a vote and was approved
unanimously.
A version of the agreement that
was presented for consideration
but not approved would give the
county the option of forming a spe-
cial tax district in Stockbridge to
collect more revenue for addition-
al police services. County attorney
Patrick Jaugstetter said that such a
move is available by law to the
county for any geographic area,
but Stockbridge officials were
opposed to it in this case.
Prince pounced on that in his
remarks, saying that the biggest
sticking point during mediation
sessions was that the city wanted
exactly such a tax district.
“They’ve moved 180 degrees in
less than a month,” he said.
Smith and Holmes agreed that
they did not want Stockbridge res-
idents taxed differently than the
rest of the county for this.
“If they want to levy their own tax
and start their own police force,
they can do that on their own,” said
Holmes. “I don’t believe we
should be the governing body for
the city. This [negotiation] has
gone on way too long and it’s time
to formalize this agreement.”
Prince said that a recent citizen
survey showed many in
Stockbridge favored more police
protection as their highest priority.
He then presented statistics from
the Henry County Police
Department, citing seven shoot-
ings in Stockbridge since Jan. 1
and zero in Kelleytown.
“Being asked to provide police
services at the exact same level as
the rest of the county and not being
willing to pay more is, frankly,
ridiculous,” he said. “I hate to see
my city where I grew up just go by
the wayside to save a few bucks.”
Police,
from front
STEVENS 320 -
$
219
95
12 GA, Pump, 18” Barrell, 5+1
15 Hampton St • Downtown McDonough
HARRIS-TUCKER JEWELRY PAWN & GUN
NEW & USED:
PISTOLS • REVOLVERS
RIFLES • SHOTGUNS
INTEREST FREE
LAY-A-WAY AVAILABLE!
•No Credit Check
Financing
•Jewelry Repair
30-50% OFF
Most Inventory
770-288-2313
MAVERICK “CRUISER” -
$
299
95
12 GA, Pump, Pistol Grip, 20” Barrell, 7+1
