Downtown Scarecrow Contest Results

Main Street Toccoa would like to thank all of the businesses that participated in the First Annual Downtown Scarecrow Contest. We were impressed by the effort and creativity that all businesses put into the creation of their scarecrow(s). This was a wonderful way to show seasonal fun in Toccoa and to show off our great downtown.

Following judging this weekend, our judges have selected Jack Green, CPA as the winner of the Downtown Scarecrow Contest. Congratulations to Jay and the staff! Their scarecrow was decorated as Mr. Jack O’Lantern, a distressed CPA, complete with glasses and suspenders. The judges were impressed with the scarecrow’s representation of the CPA business, its emotion and use of hay and pumpkin head. The combination of originality, traditional scarecrow-making technique, and creativity in expressing the financial business created the first Downtown Scarecrow Contest’s winner.

In addition to the top prize, the judges also chose two honorable mentions for this year’s Downtown Scarecrow Contest: Stephens County Development Authority (SCDA) and Ionosphere Travel Agency. Both scarecrow displays were judged highly for their creativity in reflecting their business’ purpose. Stephens County Development Authority’s display included five scarecrows, all representatives of members of the SCDA, and a pumpkin carved to include their logo. This honorable mention was awarded due to the display’s attention to detail and creativity. Additionally, Ionosphere’s scarecrow "Trip" was lounging in a beach chair, sunbathing in a Hawaiian print shirt and flip-flops. All the necessities of a beach trip were included in the display, as Trip had suntan lotion, a boom box, sunglasses and a camera. The judges awarded Ionosphere an honorable mention for its coordination with their business mission and its ability to transport you to another place.

Thank you to everyone for your commitment and support of this downtown contest. We look forward to making this an annual event and are very pleased with the participation this year! As this was our first year, if you have any feedback we would love to hear your comments. We will be revamping the competition process over the next few weeks, so be on the lookout for next year's contest rules and dates in the coming weeks.

Toccoa: "best living history in GA"

The City of Toccoa and the Stephens County Historical Society have announced that the Official Best of Travel website has selected Toccoa as having "the best living history of Georgia." As a result, the city and the historic downtown will be featured on a television special set to air next month on the Travel Channel. Officials with both the city and the Historical Society said they are excited about the honor.

Lt. Governor Casey Cagle visits Toccoa


Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle stopped at the Toccoa Clinic Foothill Centre to hold a meeting with local officials Wednesday. He entertained questions and comments from the audience. The Lt. Governor was introduced by Senator Jim Butterworth.

Stop by to check out SCDA's window decoration for the Downtown Scarecrow Contest!

NGTC Switching To Semesters

Preparations continue at North Georgia Technical College for the switch from quarters to semesters.Starting in August 2011, the Technical College System of Georgia, which includes North Georgia Tech, will convert from an academic calendar based on quarters to one based on semesters. Moving from quarters to semesters will align the technical college academic calendar with the K-12 school system. Other benefits the semester schedule offers, according to North Georgia Tech, include additional instruction time and more in-depth coverage of course content.The school stated that class sizes are not expected to increase on the semester system, nor will a student’s grade point average be affected.
Read article:WNEG News

SCDA Welcomes Back Tim Ash to Board

Stephens County Development Authority Executive Director Tim Martin welcomes Tim Ash back to the Stephens County Development Authority Board of Directors.

“Tim will be a valuable addition to our team as we continue our efforts to promote Toccoa and Stephens County as an ideal site for business and industry,” said Martin.

Stephens County Commissioners appointed Ash onto the Development Authority Board Tuesday.

Ash replaces Jennifer Blasingame, who resigned last month as she awaits the birth of her second child. He will also fill Blasingame’s position as treasurer on the Development Authority Board.

WNEG News

Job Fair

The Georgia Department of Labor will host a job fair in Stephens County today. Today's job fair will run from 12 to 3 p.m. at North Georgia Tech's Currahee Campus, which is located on Highway 17 between Toccoa and Martin. It is sponsored by the Toccoa Career Center of the Georgia Department of Labor, the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, and North Georgia Tech.