Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey
-If you're got short arms, don't even think about the National Football League.
Rome Braves> Sports
-Rome drops another one-run game to Riverdogs, 3-2.
-Tonight: Braves at Charleston, 7 p.m.
-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos> Click
What's on this week's Buzz:
-Riverside Gourmet--and 'the rest of the story' (Bussey, The Season)
-Politics: See how they run (and against whom).
-Tracking the candidates as they qualify this week, local and state.
-Campaign watch: Political notes.
-Summer Camps 2010: Natalie Simms' regional report on camp options for kids this year, from arts and sports to robotics and Lego engineering.
-Peaks & Valleys: Timely honor for Lyons Heyman.
Dillmon's got some company coming to 248-250 Broad St.
-Take a second to remember that pregnant pause Paul Harvey would give when delivering the punch line for all those " . . . rest of the story" stories he spun on WRGA. With that voice in mind, please see the following, a release on Kevin Dillmon's (Riverside Gourmet) application for wine package sales and wine tasting on Broad we posted last week.
(Media release) "Holly Lynch, owner of The Season Special Event Planning; Todd Bussey of Bussey's Flowers, Gifts, and Décor; and Kevin Dillmon of Riverside Gourmet announce plans to open a shared workspace on Broad Street in downtown Rome.
The new shop, located at 248 Broad St. in the space formerly occupied by the Rome Area Council for the Arts, provides an expansion opportunity for all three companies. The establishment will serve as a new office for The Season Special Event Planning as well as a second location for Cedartown-based Bussey's. Riverside Gourmet will also have more retail space than their former location.
"I am really excited about this opportunity. The location is perfect for The Season and is the next logical step in my company's growth. With the addition of some retail items, like invitations and wedding accessories, the store is ideal," said Lynch.
Bussey's has desired a Rome storefront for several years and this opportunity came at the right time. Bussey's will offer fresh flowers, distinctive gifts and expand its home décor offerings. "Having a branch of our shop in Rome will be a great way for us to serve our Rome clients, while also attracting new customers. We're really looking forward to this next step," said Bussey.
The building will provide ample retail space for Riverside Gourmet's selection of culinary tools and cookware as well. The store had been located at 233 Broad St. near Honeymoon Bakery, which Dillmon co-owns. The store offers gourmet foods, kitchen tools, small appliances, and home textiles.
"I'm excited to be open again on Broad Street. We're also adding some new gourmet lines, including specialty wines," said Kevin Dillmon.
Lynch, Bussey and Dillmon plan to open their new location by late May. The shop will be located at 248 Broad Street on the corner of Broad Street and Third Avenue. A grand opening will be announced soon."
We'll have additional updates this week on this and other Broad Street updates.
Politics: See how they run (and against whom)
Consider this week the NFL draft for local politicians. For weeks now, speculation has been about as abundant as pollen concerning who would and wouldn't run this year. There have been lots of scenarios and an occasional wild-card idea floated.
The wheels and deals will continue all week, up until the noon deadline on Friday. After that, we'll have a pretty good idea on the July primary ballot.
In Floyd County, Democratic candidates will qualify at the law office of Bob Finnell at 1 W. Fourth Ave. Look for the Republican incumbents in the countywide seats (school board, county commission) to qualify, perhaps en masse, this week.
On the local ballot this year:
-State House seats 11, 13, 14 and 16. Incumbents, by seat number: Barbara Massey Reece, Katie Dempsey, Barry Loudermilk and Rick Crawford).
-State Senate seat: 52 (incumbent: Preston Smith)
-Floyd County Commission, posts 1, 4 and 5: Incumbents Chad Whitefield, Eddie Lumsden, John Mayes
-Floyd County Board of Education, District 1, 5: Incumbents Teresa Lumsden, David Johnson.
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp's office will post statewide, state House and Senate, and U.S. House and Senate candidate qualifying "in real time" at http://www.sos.ga.gov.
Hometown's 2010 candidate announcement policy
-Each candidate, upon qualifying, is invited to send up to a 400-word e-mail declaring his or her bid for office. The text must specifically be about the candidate. Mug shots are welcome (jpegs only). No PDFs or faxes. Declarations exceeding 400 words will be cut at the 400th word. Send to: ideas@hometownheadlines.com
-Look for qualifying statements to appear on our Politics page> Click
Local politics:
-April 29: Rome-Floyd Tea Party hosts Joel Aaron Foster> Politics
-May 1: Roy2010 Campaign will host an informational meet and greet at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1, at Schroeder's Courtyard, Broad Street, Rome. The public is invited. Call Ross Baird at 404-281-1254.
Summer camps 2010: Plenty of variety again this season with
arts, athletics, history, science, robotics, Lego engineering
By Natalie Simms
natsimms76@gmail.com
Summer is just around the corner and if you're like a lot of others, you might be thinking about putting off the family vacation and opting to stay home to save money. Even if you've canceled the vacation, you can still provide your kids with something less expensive and fun to do this summer… go to camp!
There are endless opportunities available for kids of all ages. Take your pick from day camps to overnight trips, from sports to music to outdoor adventures, the choices are numerous.
Rome YMCA
The YMCA offers two options for kids. Kinder Camp is for ages 3-5 and is designed for the younger child and includes daily swim lessons, arts & crafts and supervised play time and field trips. Day Camp is for ages 6-12 and provides a full day of fun at YMCA Camp Bryant. Camp includes archery range, playing fields and nature trials, as well as swimming. Visit www.ymcarome.org for session dates, cost and registration. Phone: 706-232-2468.
Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Association
Parks and Rec offers day camps at a number of locations in the county, along with a Summer Enrichment camp at Fielder Center, Spanish Camp and LEGO Engineering Camp. Day camps are available at the Anthony Center in West Rome, the North Floyd Center, Gilbreath Center in Lindale and in Shannon. Day camps are for ages 5-13. The Spanish Camp is for ages 4-9 at the North Floyd Center. The LEGO Engineering Camp is for ages 5-13. Visit www.rfpra.com for session dates, cost and registration. Phone: 706-291-0766.
Darlington School
Darlington offers a combination of traditional day camps and specialty sports camps, including some overnight camps. Day camps include those focused on sports, arts, academics and adventure fun. With more than 20 camps to choose from, there is something for every student. Visit www.darlingtonschool.org/summer for a complete list of camps, dates, cost and registration. Phone: 706-236-0415.
Shorter College
Shorter College offers a number of sports camps for boys and girls as well as the Summer Arts Institute that focuses on keyboard studies, voice and musical theatre. Athletic camps include basketball, baseball, cheerleading, tennis, softball and football. For athletic camps, visit Shorter sports for a complete list of camps, dates, cost and registration. For the Summer Arts Camp, visit Shorter arts.
Berry College
Berry hosts a number of sports camps through their Athletic Department. Camps available include baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, tennis, equestrian, and volleyball. Click Berry camps for the complete list of camps, dates, cost and registration.
WinShape Camps
WinShape Foundation offers both traditional and adventure overnight camps for boys and girls in grades 2-12. Campers participate in a number of outdoor and indoor activities, including evening Bible studies and activities. For more information call 1-800-448-6955, ext. 1120 or visit www.winshape.org/camps. Registration is available online.
Kindermusik at Berry College
Kindermusik offers a number of musical opportunities for kids from newborn to 8 years old. Maymester and Summer sessions are available for newborn-3 years old that meet weekly. For older kids, there are week-long day camp sessions. For the complete schedule and registration information, click here or call 706-233-4091.
Chieftains Museum
Chieftains will host "AY" camp. "AY" means "summer" in the Cherokee language. The "AY" camp is for ages 9-13 and features Indian culture, history, storytelling, theatre, arts and crafts. Visit www.chieftainsmuseum.org for complete camp information. To register, call 706-291-9494.
Rome Civic Ballet
Rome Civic Ballet offers week-long day camps for ages preschool to 6th grade. Dance camp gives campers the opportunity to experience dance from class to performance. No previous dance experience is necessary to enjoy dance camp and dance shoes are available to borrow. Camp includes study of ballet, tap, dance games, dress-up, arts and crafts and a performance at the end of the week. Camp sessions are June 21-25, June 28-July 2 and July 5-9 and cost is $75. For more information and to register, call 706-232-8804.
Children's Yoga Camp
Springstone Yoga is offering a week-long children's yoga camp for ages 4-11 on June 7-11 from 1-3 p.m. Campers will get to enjoy yoga, stories, music, games, art and snack. Click here for more information or call 706-331-4631.
The Grand Theatre
Located in downtown Cartersville, The Grand Theatre has been a cultural landmark since 1929. The Grand Theatre offers three different music- theatre camps for elementary, middle and high school levels. Campers will learn basic theatre skills and rehearse a musical that will be performed at the end of camp. Visit Camps for information. To register, call 770-386-7343, or come by The Grand Theatre Ticket Office at 7 N. Wall St.
Bartow History Museum
The Bartow History Museum offers two single-day camps: one for ages 4-7 on June 21 and one for ages 8-11 on June 22 focusing on crafts from the past. A week-long, half-day camp on Native Americans, comparing Cherokee Indians to the Plains Indians, will be offered in July for ages 5-11. Click here for complete camp information. To register, call 770-387-3849.
Tiger Fight Foundation
Rome's Tiger Flight Foundation, in coordination with Freedom Flight Center, Training Rx and Etowah Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center, offers several summer camps for area youth ages 10 and up. They include Youth Self-Leadership, Astronomy, Sciences of Flight, Experiencing Flight, and Private Pilot Solo Courses. Students will be able to visit local aircraft and airport facilities. Visit Tiger Flight for the complete list of camps, dates, cost and registration information. Phone: 706-295-7900.
Please check back for additional updates. New camp information should be sent to Natalie Simms at this e-mail address: natsimms76@gmail.com
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to Lyons Heyman: 
The longtime community leader has been honored by his fellow Rotarians with the Guardian of Ethics Award (details). Says a Rotary article on the honor: "Lyons has been a member of our Rotary Club for 58 years. He is one of the few members whose father also served as President of the same club. His ethical compass always points true." Our community has rarely seen a truer friend or more dedicated servant. Lyons' latest honor is warmly deserved.
Valley to the closing of Five Guys in Rome: For weeks, we'd heard reports of the burgers-and-fries shop at Midtown Crossing closing but, each time, the rumor was denied. But a week ago, the staff was notified that Friday, April 30, would be the two-year-old shop's final day. The chain itself is booming; it seems the Rome location--past home to two editions of Schlotzsky's--wasn't cutting. Some cite price, others the lack of drive-through access (Romans don't walk, as the saying goes). Then again, other "sit down" restaurants in the plaza--Provino's, LongHorn, etc.--are doing fine. Here's hoping Five Guys indeed takes another spin at Rome in coming years.
-The qualifying picture changed dramatically late Monday as Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, announced his decision to run for attorney general. (
Movie Gallery stores closing: The shop at 3231 Martha Berry Highway in Armuchee is one of those marked for closure as are stores in Cedartown, Calhoun, Summerville, Adairsville and elsewhere in Georgia. The closing date is fluid: either from four to six weeks or six to eight weeks. "Total" liquidation sales have not yet started. The company is shuttering 760 stores after filing for Chapter 11 and announced massive restructuring plans> 
"We're just waiting on our state license. We hope to open in another week but I don't know. Hopefully by the first of May for sure," says Jaime Castro, co-owner of El Toro. His partner is Pasquel Caldera, who cooked for the old "La Chiva" Mexican Restaurant in West Rome about 15 years ago. The duo also own J&P Construction in Rome. Castro says they've invested about $160,000 in labor and equipment into refitting the former West Rome Pizza Hut, along with another $50,000 in materials from the building owner, 
-Rome's pending Steak N Shake appears to be part of new prototype trend: Earlier this month in New York, Biglari Holdings, parent company of Steak N Shake, talked about the new look planned for its restaurants --as well as deals just signed in Rome and elsewhere. The new design is a "3,200-square-foot prototype (that) will cost about $1.5 million to build, down from the existing 4,200-square-foot model, which costs $2.2 million." The Rome site, which is being backed by Wayne Robinson and Brooke Temple, is a 3,200-square-foot restaurant. The plan is to clear the existing Johnny Carino's building and start new from there. A midsummer opening is planned. (
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