Page 4 - Spring 2021

s| AROUND MAIN STREET Every flower
has a story to tell
By Michael Prochaska
Behind every flower is a personal story—a tale of love, family and cherished memories. For Watkinsville resident Cindy Jerrell, the beauty of the natural world is reflected in her artwork.
Jerrell’s 10-foot-tall topiary flower ladies off Barnett Shoals Road provide hope and joy to the people who drive by each day.
Jerrell, who jokes that she gardens until her fingernails are black, believes that the confluence of art and nature reduces stress and brings sunshine to people’s lives.
“Mentally I feel like the sun and the earth absorb and dissolve my anxieties, and I am recharged,” she exclaimed.
Gardener and birder Michelle McNeill enjoys planting vegetation that she has seen in other parts of the country, such as a lavender plant after visiting a lavender farm in Maui, Hawaii.
During COVID-19, Katy and Jason Castleberry have nurtured their own horticultural oasis on Crabapple Circle. In the Thornwood subdivision, Mike and Nicole Roberts have done the same.
Red Dirt Road Farm, just up the hill from the Elder Mill Covered Bridge, may be the seed of an Oconee Grower’s association. Bonnie Vaughan takes pride in growing and harvesting crops that go directly to the dinner tables of local families.
In this spring issue of Oconee the Magazine, we also reflect on the history of Salem, a once thriving town in the 19th century that boasted two hotels and seven bars before the first railroad bypassed the town.
We also highlight Dustan and Holly Barker, an Oconee couple who adopted Holly’s nephew and have been advocates for addiction recovery programs.
By starting an unofficial sports broadcasting program at Oconee County High School, seniors Spencer Bright and Mary Kathryn Rozar are one step closer toward their professional goals. After all, the best professions are those that start out as hobbies.
When the Castleberry family began their backyard business, Sleepy Bee Blossoms, their goal wasn’t to make money but “to bring something of value to the community.”
Every garden, no matter how big or small, brings joy and beauty into our lives.
Volume 11, Number 3 Spring 2021
Supplement to The Oconee Enterprise Publisher
Maridee Williams
Editor
Michael Prochaska
Advertising Director
Maridee Williams
Contributing Writers
Julia Fechter
Blake Giles
Justin Hubbard Cyndee Perdue Moore Michael Prochaska Gene Jacobs
George Zeliff
Contributing Photographers
Spencer Bright Katie Castleberry Kelley Channell Janet Cruz
Julia Fechter
Blake Giles
Justin Hubbard
Scott MacInnis with Historic
Rural Churches of Georgia
Michelle McNeill George Zeliff
Graphic Design
Allyn R. Jenkins Arlette Revells George H. Windate
Sales Representatives
Tracy Harmon Maridee Williams
Circulation
Maridee Williams
OCONEE THE MAGAZINE is published quarterly plus a holiday bonus issue
by Oconee Enterprise, Inc. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without express written consent of the publisher. This includes advertisements designed and produced by OCONEE THE MAGAZINE.
OCONEE THE MAGAZINE accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork, and none will be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Address inquiries to:
P.O. Box 535, Watkinsville, GA 30677 or oconeethemagazine@gmail.com
© 2021 Oconee Enterprise, Inc. All rights reserved.
sMichael Prochaska is editor of OCONEE THE MAGAZINE and The Oconee Enterprise newspaper in Watkinsville, Ga.
PAGE 2 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021