By Scott Bradshaw

Special to The Citizen

Some readers know I moved to Peachtree City 10 years ago and will be surprised that I have early memories of the area I hold so dear to my heart. There are others who can better tell the story of Peachtree City’s inception, growth, and success during the past five decades.

By Jimmy Booth

Special to The Citizen

Peachtree City’s early years of planning and development had caught my attention. Returning to Fayette County in 1965 after graduating from college and working at a couple of small newspapers, I moved in with my parents when they bought a home in Peachtree City. Two years later, Margo and I were married, and she and I made our home in Peachtree City.

When a second high school was going to be built in Fayette County in the early 1980s, it was going to be placed in Peachtree City.

We did not want to just list the mayors and their dates of service, but wanted to include a short biography about them.

By JIMMY BOOTH

Special to The Citizen

Back in Peachtree City’s early years, I remember attending some games during a large invitational men’s softball tournament held at Riley Field in Peachtree City.

[This column was published Nov. 14, 2001.]

In the rhetoric of election year politics, a certain theme of misinformation disinformation? seems to be endlessly repeated, apparently on the supposition that if something is said often enough, it will be believed as true.

This column was first published Jan. 27, 1999.

Henry C. Drake, M.D., was Peachtree City’s first doctor, and long after he opened his office here in 1971, the only physician practicing in the county besides Helen and Ferrol Sams.

[This column was published Jan. 24, 2001.]

When the officers of Peachtree City Fire Department asked me to speak at the department’s awards banquet earlier this month, they said they wanted the newer members to hear how things used to be, to give them an idea of our beginnings.

[This column was published March 6, 2002.]

Continuing with C.J. Mowell, Jr.’s memories of the Fayette County’s mid-20th century fire service:

[This column was published July 3, 2006.]

Talk about deja vu all over again.

For the first time in many, many years we had dinner at Flat Creek Club in Peachtree City. We were there twice in the past month, actually.

I remember that when Flat Creek Golf Course was built, I worked for the local newspaper and was sent to cover the first tee-off. It was on Labor Day, 1968.

[This column was published July 23, 2008.]

With the reality of Pastor John Weber’s retirement finally sinking in, I know I have to seek my usual therapy of writing about it. No one could possibly deserve the rewards of his good life more than Weber.

[This column was published April 5, 2008.]

Less than a week ago, a couple of us were forming plans to “do” one more lunch together, as sister and brothers in a unique family. We’ve tried to do this annually, but this time we waited too long.

The following arrests were reported by local law enforcement agencies for the past week. All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty:

The bid by Charter Schools USA to establish a K-8 charter school in Senoia was defeated June 25 by a unanimous vote of the Coweta County School Board. Charter Schools has the option of presenting the petition to the Georgia Charter Schools Commission for consideration later this summer.

For East Coweta High School student Kristina Matheny, summer vacation has been far from average.

Instead of lounging by the pool or watching television, the 17-year-old – who recently returned from the 2009 Washington Youth Tour (WYT), a leadership program sponsored by the electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) of Georgia, including Coweta-Fayette EMC – visited Congressional leaders in our nation’s capitol.

It was as professional a photography exhibition as anything you would see in Buckhead, as the photographic and interviewing skills of 12 Palmetto youngsters were displayed at the Palmetto Community Center June 27 and 28. Their efforts culminated in “Our Lives, Our Land, Our Legacy,” an exhibition of the Palmetto Cultural Arts Project funded in part by the Fulton County Arts Council and the City of Palmetto.

Bryan M. Cavan of Newnan was sworn in as president of the 40,000-member State Bar of Georgia on June 20 during the organization’s annual meeting at Amelia Island, Fla. Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears of the Supreme Court of Georgia administered the oath of office.

Residents of Coweta and Fayette counties lost another local bank with the June 26 closing of Neighborhood Community Bank (NCB) by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (DBF). The Newnan-based bank operated two branches in Coweta County, along with branches in Peachtree City and Tyrone. NCB deposit accounts were transferred to CharterBank of West Point.

The Coweta County Commission last week gave unanimous approval to support proposed improvements to Newnan-Coweta Airport. The improvements are expected to be funded largely by federal dollars.

The Georgia State Board of Education has approved a revised charter for the Central Educational Center (CEC), a National Model High School, which will govern the charter school in its second decade of operations. The 10-year charter came with a unanimous vote at its June 11 meeting.

A Fayetteville man was arrested over the weekend for assaulting his girlfriend during a party in south Fayette County on May 23, sheriff’s officials said.

Peachtree City Councilmember Cyndi Plunkett this morning announced she will run for mayor of Peachtree City.

Plunkett, whose four-year term on council is expiring in December, will face off against fellow councilman Don Haddix and political newcomer Scott Rowland.

Built for 600, school will house programs for 40 specials needs students grades K-12

A just-built elementary school will have at least a few students this fall — about 40 children to populate the $10.65 million project.

Sany Corporation, which manufactures heavy construction equipment, is still working towards construction of its first assembly building in Peachtree City.

Peachtree City’s venerable July 4th parade will continue its tradition Saturday at 9 a.m., but with a special nod to the city’s 50th anniversary.

As such, the city’s former mayors have been invited to serve as co-grand marshals of the parade. Scheduled to lead the parade are former mayors Joel Cowan, Ralph Jones, Chip Conner, Howard Morgan’s widow Dolly, Herb Frady, Fred Brown Jr., Bob Lenox and Steve Brown.

“In three months we’ve gotten our membership up over 3,000. We’re absolutely not going away.”

That is the stance of Peachtree City Tea Party Patriots organizer Cindy Fallon who, along with a growing group of Fayette and Coweta residents, will be holding a July 4 event at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree City.