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DEL.ICIO.US“Badie tour will return to its original purpose”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some things take on a life unto themselves.
They start out one way, then become something totally different.
Which brings me to the Badie Tour, now a year old. It began as a vehicle to get me off the phone, out of the office, and among you, the people who live, work and play in Gwinnett.
Every Wednesday, I was supposed to set up shop - in a City Hall, coffeehouse, anywhere, really, that put me in touch. While that’s been accomplished somewhat, it hasn’t happened as planned, in a fashion preferred. So the plan is to return to the tour’s original premise.
The Badie Tour debuted Oct, 18, 2006, at the Snellville Recycling Center. Surely, Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer called in favors. Dozens of folk dropped by to say hello, press flesh, and most important, talk about their neighborhoods, their homes, our county. The good and the bad.
A week later, I was at a Dunkin’ Donuts on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Residents offered an earful about neighborhood concerns - weedy lots, excessive numbers of people living in one dwelling and other code violations. As their communities decayed, so did their hopes regarding homeownership.
During this stop, Sylvenia Doby told me she moved to the Brookville subdivision off Williams Road about 12 years ago. She’d spent $30,000 to add a sunroom, lay sod and dig a fish pond. She posed a question that turned out to be on many minds:
“What can we do?”
Her query spawned a series of columns about Gwinnett’s quality of life, its perceived or real demise, the government’s response. Readers posted comments online, called and e-mailed to share their stories, to say that similar unsavory situations festered around them, too.
Then, at some point in the first year of the tour, it took a detour, not for the worse, necessarily, but away from its origins. Columns on places and events became de rigueur. Uncle Doug’s Fresh Cuts barbershop. The Gwinnett Transit System. The Gwinnett Arena. The Elisha Winn House.
These places and others are worth writing about, and I will continue to do so. But Thursday’s columns are based on Wednesday’s tours and that makes them unique. Methinks a change is in order.
And that would be a renewed focus on you - the people, your passions, pains, concerns, stories.
People like Jean Evans, known as “Mama Jean.” She decorates the front yard of her Lawrenceville home to reflect themes - Christmas, Halloween, Sept. 11, 2001, and so on.
Artists like Reginald “Smitty” Highsmith of Snellville, a scroller who honors fallen U.S. soldiers by crafting free wooden portraits for their families.
And individuals like Craig A. Molnar, the late homeless man who gave a face to the county’s homeless.
Interesting people abound. With your help, I’d like to find more of them. If you can spare the time, drop by the Red Sky Cafe & Coffeehouse, 2033 Buford Highway, around 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The Badie Tour will be there. In search of its roots.
And yours.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
Comments
By Bruce Wilcox
November 27, 2007 9:56 AM | Link to this
I hope this doesn’t mean you will not keep tackling the more senitive issues. There has been a more ‘don’t rock the boat’ atitude in the Gwinnett section lately. New editor?
Take for example the local media yesterday, not the AJC, reporting that Gwinnett county will be hiring a consultant for a $150,000 dollars a year on how to enforce the new ordinance on the county hiring illegals. In the original request it was either 180,000 or 280,00 thousand dollars to train the girls in the office and the sweep would begin.
Now we are close to $400,000 dollars that as far as I know has not checked one company? The funny or expensive part of it is, why did it take so long for the county to figure out they needed a consultant, before or after they trained the girls?
I said in the beginning it was nothing more than a feel good law, seems nothing has changed. How’s the QoL unit doing lately, seems quiet over there too?
By Michael H. Smith
November 27, 2007 11:48 AM | Link to this
Go for the gusto Mr. Badie. Human interest stories seemed to be the original intent of the Badie Tour. To many readers a return to the Charles Kuralt of Gwinnett will probably be a welcome break from the political scuttlebutt best left to the Insider to blog.
While on the subject of blogging the blogs: The Lawrenceville blog seems to have taken wings out of Gwinnett. Sadly to say, Lawrenceville has held public meetings on the City wells, very few people showed up at the last meeting and absolutely no coverage lately or blog topic has occurred in the Lawrenceville section on a very important and current issue.
By Laura
November 27, 2007 1:11 PM | Link to this
Rick I would love to come by at lunch but the cafe is a good 15 miles from where I work in Duluth. My 8 mile trip home to Lawrenceville takes 30 minutes at lunch. So I don’t think I could swing a trip to Buford for lunch and get back in time. Please come to Duluth soon!
By Mark
November 27, 2007 5:49 PM | Link to this
Rick, What real use of your “tours” is there? So you can hear people b*** about their areas, and what exactly do you go from there? You’re just a reporter. No changes will happen because you toured an area. Get a real job as a journalist, or seek another occupation. WOW! Rick Badie is coming to town!!!! LOL
By airborne
November 28, 2007 3:52 PM | Link to this
Mark why is it that you always have something negative to say about Mr.Badie?You must not have a job.Mr.Badie is a journalist if you understand the definition of journalism.Did you have any friends that liked you,or did you just stand in the corner with your thumb in your mouth?It seems like all you do is complain.When are you going to get out in the community and do something positive?Stop being a hater because you may have failed in college as a journalism major.Be a man and join the world of unity.Mr.Badie is doing a job that requires an open mind and dedication.Whats your excuse for being a whinner?Keep the public informed Mr.Badie you do good work.
By Mark
November 29, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this
airborne
I do plenty of things for my community. I am well educated and have a nice job. I was questioning the purpose of Mr. Badie’s tours. And the results. What Mr. Badie does is not journalism. He writes an article maybe twice a week about things that don’t matter. And his “tours” don’t do a thing about any changes. It’a all chatter.
By Airborne
November 30, 2007 2:17 PM | Link to this
Mark if you’re so educated and have a job and claim to do things in your community,it must not be worth mentioning,because im sure Mr.Badie would be glad to gv you 5 minutes of fame.Stop complaining about every article that he writes,he has a job to do just like you.Everyone has there own opinions,but yours are in the form of jealousy.Why don’t you get from behind your complaint desk and try to bring your community to the forefront,and let people know what important things are going on their.Stop being a whinner and grow up and see the real world,there’s a lot out there that you don’t know about and that’s why they have journalist like Mr.Badie to inform the public.