“Politics & Pastries” Hosts Senator Wilkinson and Representative Harden

50^th District State Senator John Wilkinson and 28^th District State Representative Michael Harden spoke on the 2012 General Assembly Session this morning at the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce’s annual post-legislative session “Politics & Pastries.”  The event was held in the Mitchell Allen meeting room at the historic train depot in downtown Toccoa.   

Toccoa Falls College Announces New President

Toccoa Falls College has announced that Dr. Robert M. Myers will serve as the college’s seventh president beginning this summer.   The Board of Trustees announced the election of Myers Wednesday afternoon.  His first day in the office as President of Toccoa Falls College will be July 1.  Prior to coming to TFC, Myers has served as the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Toccoa GA named 19th

Toccoa GA was named 19^th in the article, The 35 Best Hunting and Fishing Towns in the US, in the April 12, 2012 issue of Outdoor Life. The article is quoted here stating that Toccoa is

“Tucked into the southeastern corner of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Toccoa is 15 minutes from the Lake Russell Wildlife Management Area, home to deer, turkeys, bears, squirrels, rabbits, and wild hogs. Lake Russell is stocked with trout, and nearby Lake Hartwell has hybrid stripers, brown trout, and crappies.”

For more on the story follow the link:

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2012/04/35-best-hunting-and-fishing-towns-us

SCDA Spotlights Lanier Clothes!

As SCDA continues to bring businesses and industries to our community, we would also like to not forget the existing industries. Lanier Clothes is a publicly owned company and a leader in supply chain collaboration. The parent company is Oxford Industries Inc, founded in 1942 and with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. From the Fiscal year of 2010, Oxford Industries obtained net sales of over $600 million dollars.

Lanier Clothes designs and markets brand name and private label men’s tailored clothing across a wide range of prices. Certain products are sold using trademarks licensed to companies, including Kenneth Cole, Dockers, and Geoffrey Beene. Also products are sold to national chains, department stores, mass merchants, specialty catalog retailers and discount retailers throughout the United States including JC Penney, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Belk, Sears, and others.

Currently operating in seven countries on four continents; their goal is to maximize the strengths of each location. Lanier Clothes is one of the largest resources for men’s tailored clothing in the United States. The company’s headquarters are located in Atlanta with sales offices in New York and Dallas.

The Toccoa facility is a Distribution and Service Center with an area of 23.2 acres, including two buildings, with sizes of 114,435 and 98,826 square feet. Its primary functions are to store and ship retailers replenishment merchandise, provide manufacturing details to sourcing plants throughout the world and to service the fastest segment of Lanier Clothes business dot com orders.

SCDA appreciates Lanier Clothes and commends the industry for maintaining a staff of 70 people. We hope for continued success at their Distribution and Service Center located on Old Liberty Hill Road in Toccoa, Georgia.

For more information visit http://www.lanierclothes.com/.

TOCCOA TO HONOR FAMOUS FLAMES TODAY

With their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just days away, the city of Toccoa plans to honor the Famous Flames at a ceremony today (April 9) at 4 p.m. at Toccoa City Hall. Toccoa Main Street Events Coordinator Sharon Crosby said the city is excited to honor the Famous Flames and their legacy. “They made such an impact on music in general, so we are excited to share this time with the family and just to honor our hometown citizens,” said Crosby.

The original Famous Flames, Bobby Byrd, Nafloyd Scott, Nash Knox, Johnny Terry, and Sylvester Keels, were all from the Toccoa area. In the early 1950s, James Brown joined the group. They performed together from 1953 to 1968.

Crosby said that the event will include the music of the Famous Flames, as well as a look back at the individuals who made up the group. “During that time, four of our local residents who knew the Famous Flames well and were part of their early life are going to be giving some reflections on them and be sharing a little bit of information and stories about the different ones that were members of the group,” said Crosby. “We will also have a special presentation during that time.”

Following the celebration, the Toccoa City Commission will honor the Famous Flames with a proclamation during the commission’s regularly scheduled meeting. The Toccoa City Commission’s regular meeting will start at 5 p.m. today at Toccoa City Hall.

The Famous Flames’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will take place Saturday April 14 at the Hall of Fame museum, located in Cleveland, Ohio. Also inducted at that time will be Buddy Holly’s Crickets, Gene Vincent’s Blue Caps, Hank Ballard’s Midnighters, Bill Haley’s Comets, and Smokey Robinson’s Miracles.

New Downtown Plaques Unveiled!

The city of Toccoa unveils its sixth historic plaque in downtown Toccoa. Thursday, city officials gathered at the Schaefer Center at the corner of Doyle and Broad streets in downtown Toccoa for the unveiling. City officials said that plans are to unveil ten plaques, with a new plaque going up each month. Eventually, officials said the city plans to create a walking tour and podcast to highlight the historic buildings.

The Stephens County Recreation Department Holds Ribbon Cutting!

On Tuesday, April 3, 2012, the Stephens County Recreation Department celebrated a ribbon cutting opening the new playground at their Rose Lane location. Stephens County Recreation Department Director Richard Adams said the new playground has many different features. All of the funding for the playground came from SPLOST V revenues.

For more information contact the Recreation Department at 706-886-5101 or on Facebook at Stephens County Recreation Department.