WALKER: The Swinging Medallions, etc.
This article was spawned by last week's events and lots and lots of chatter.
The Swinging Medallions: Last weekend, Janice and I visited our friend, and my law school roommate, Robert Sherrell, and his friend, Ginger Thompson, in Fitzgerald. The stated purpose of the trip was to go on Friday night to see, hear and dance to the music of Greenwood, South Carolina's The Swinging Medallions. What a show! What a dance! There must have been 500 "Swinging Medallions" over the years for they were formed in 1962. All of the dozen or so shows I have seen have always been great, and they have always sounded the same. That night was no different. What a great time we had at this show and dance. We also enjoyed Fitzgerald, a unique Georgia town founded by southerners and northerners after the Civil War and in a county, Ben Hill, which I believe is the only county in Georgia with a double name. I believe, but am not certain, that "Ben Hill" was actually Benjamin Harvey Hill, a United States senator from Georgia back about the time "Ben Hill" was named.
Georgia counties: Well, I've drifted off into the "Georgia counties" subject. We have too many. That's my view. I think some consolidations resulting in a reduction by about a third, or approximately 159 to approximately 100, would be a good, economic move. But, I do understand the "pride" involved in having your own county, and this does count for something and is significant. By the way, do you know how many of our 159 counties are not named for a person (like Houston, Bibb, Twiggs, Dooly, Macon, Crawford, etc.)? Well, I think it is only 10: Catoosa, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Cherokee, Liberty, Muscogee, Oconee, Seminole, Union and Peach. And, by the way, Peach was the last county (the youngest) created in Georgia. It was formed in 1924. Ware is the largest, geographically — the Okefenokee Swamp, you know. And, Clarke, home of the University of Georgia, is geographically the smallest. The geographic center of Georgia is in Twiggs. I've been to the spot with my great friend, Duross Fitzpatrick, now deceased.
Small Town Big Deal: While in Ben Hill County this past weekend, we visited Rodney Miller of RFD-T.V. "Small Town, Big Deal" fame, and destined to get even more prominent in the near future. What a nice man, and what a great idea for a show. You'll hear more about this in the coming months. By the way, the Millers are friends of Sonny and Mary Perdue. Ask them about the Millers and this show.
Georgia Legislature: One of my good friends, and a man with a very responsible position in Middle Georgia, visited the Georgia Legislature for his first time, recently, and had an apt description of the goings on at and in the state Capitol: "It was like a food market in Italy on a Saturday morning!" Amen, brother, you nailed it. And, it only gets more hectic as the legislators race toward the final day of the 2016 regular session. The number of days is constitutionally restricted, so the session must end by midnight on the 40th day. My son, a new state senator, Larry III, expressed a mild complaint about the lack of activity in the Senate, initially. He is already experiencing the accelerated pace. Just wait until the last few days! It will be like a food market on a Saturday morning in Italy.
Perry Rotary Bass Tournament: Well, the date for the 2016 tournament has been set. It's the first Saturday in April, April 9. Jim Cole, Mercer's athletics director and a professional fisherman (almost), will fish with Allan Stalvey from Columbia, South Carolina. Foster Rhodes will fish with me. All of us would like to win the tournament, but, more importantly, Cole and Stalvey want to beat Rhodes and Walker, and vice versa. We've been doing this since this great little tournament started about 14 years ago, and we've had a wonderful time. You can fish anywhere in the world provided you don't start before sunup on April 9, and you have to weigh in (three of your largest bass) by 3 p.m. No live bait. Neither of our two teams have ever won it although Cole and Stalvey have been close a couple of times. Foster and I have been in the top 10 (I think) once or twice. I think we will all win, this year, not the tournament, but the fun, just like we've done for many years.
Spring: We are just before having beautiful weather in Middle Georgia. The dogwoods, crepe myrtles and azaleas will be in full bloom. The fish will bite, I hope. And, all will be well. I don't know a place in the world I'd rather be. I'm fully contented, except, honestly, I'd feel even better if Foster and I could win the bass tournament this year.
Larry Walker served 32 years in the Georgia General Assembly and presently serves on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. Email: lwalker@whgmlaw.com.
This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "WALKER: The Swinging Medallions, etc. ."