See you at the tenth annual Joyce’s Jog and the first annual Big Fish Festival!

This weekend marks the arrival of  the inaugural Georgia’s Big Fish Festival in downtown Donalsonville. For years festival attendees have been asking for a bigger and better festival, and this year much planning has gone into making it a whopper of a day-long event filled with fun, food and entertainment for the entire family.
This year also marks the tenth running and walking of Joyce’s Jog, the 5K and Fun Run established to honor the memory of Joyce Henley and to keep the fight against cancer alive and well.
A lot of time and effort by countless volunteers have gone into the planning of this year’s events and each person involved should be congratulated for a job well done. Four people in particular need to be singled out for making this year’s event possible, and as I am sure we will realize Saturday night, very successful. The Chamber of Commerce’s Karen Kimbrel and her trusty sidekick Kadie Matthews along with Joyce’s Jog organizers Karen Ponder and Steffey Vines have spent countless hours planning this year’s scheduled events and praying for clear skies and smooth sailing. They, along with countless other volunteers, deserve a special and personal thank you and pat on the back for a job well done.
This festival and its new and bold focus, and Joyce’s Jog now preparing for its tenth year, are perfect examples of having a plan, working the plan and making good things happen. It is proof positive that working together as a community for the betterment of the community is the recipe for success.
If we would spend just a little less time shifting the blame for this community’s problems and come together and work together for the common goal of making our great community even better and solving the problems, we could be exactly what we want to be.
With all the dedicated and creative people in this community, the sky is the limit in what we can achieve.  All we need is to do it together and make our community and the way of life it provides even better.
I am excited about this year’s festival and all of its activities. I am looking forward to the fried fish, the funnel cakes, the blooming onions and walking the streets and taking pictures of my fellow citizens having a grand old time in Donalsonville.
I have the best job in the world and it is truly a privilege to tell your stories and put your faces on the pages of your community newspaper. It’s going to be a great weekend in Seminole County. So, if you see me, smile, because who knows, you may just find yourself on the front page of next week’s edition. And in my opinion, whether you like it or not!
See you Saturday at the Big Fish Festival!

Comments and impressions are welcomed and
requested at david@donalsonvillenews.com