Man charged for wreck involving Whitfield County school bus

DALTON, Ga. — A Calhoun man has been charged with driving on the wrong side of the road for a wreck with a Whitfield County school bus Monday afternoon. No one on the school bus was injured. Eric Eaker, 18, is also charged with failure to maintain lane and defective equipment (bad tires), Cpl. E. Tommy Bonaparte with the Georgia State Patrol said. Eaker was taken to a hospital by an air ambulance, a Georgia State Patrol dispatcher said. Bonaparte said Eaker suffered a broken leg. The wreck occurred at about 4:17 p.m. at Willeve and Cavender roads.

Artfest opening reception set for next week

LIVE OAK, Fla. — The annual Autumn Artfest returns next week.

The Live Oak Artists Guild invites the community to join the Autumn Artfest artists, guests and awards sponsors for the Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 6, from 5-7 p.m. at the Live Oak branch of the Suwannee River Regional Library.

The 22nd annual fine arts exhibition, which is presented by the Live Oak Artists Guild and the Suwannee River Regional Library, is a judged art show with Lisa Isadora Thompson, art professor at North Florida Community College, acting as this year’s judge.

At least 12 juried awards will be presented at the reception and awards ceremony including Best of Show, Judge’s Choice and media awards in photography, painting, drawing and three dimensional media.

Following the opening reception, the artwork will remain on display during regular library hours from Sept. 10-21. From Sept. 24 through Oct. 5, the library will also host a “Featured Exhibition” of all the works that receive award recognition.

Brooks County Skillet Festival scheduled

QUITMAN, Ga. — Preparations for the Brooks County Skillet Festival are heating up. Sponsored and organized by the Quitman-Brooks County Chamber of Commerce, the annual event will be held Oct. 20 on the courthouse square, organizers said. Events include the Patchwork Harvest Quilt Show, the Annual Skillet Toss Competition, performances by the JCS Cloggers, Patrick Road Band, StudioQ dancers, SweetE’s dancers, etc. The Skillet Festival committee is searching for new artisan craft, vintage and food vendors, according to chamber officials. Applications for vendors are available now and are due by Sept. 3 to avoid a late fee. “We always strive to maintain the integrity of the festival through our vendor selection process, and make it a unique and pleasurable experience for attendees as well as our vendors” said Kelly Hanks, executive director. Hanks believes this is evident through the return rate and positive survey results of so many vendors each year. Skillet Festival sponsorship packets are available. Without sponsors, the festival would not be able to host such a wide variety of community activities such as a live band to play in the afternoon, free arts and crafts activities for children, the iconic Skillet Toss, etc., chamber officials said. For all information regarding the Skillet Festival, visit the website at www.skilletfest.com, call the chamber, 229-263-4841, or email qbccskilletfestival@gmail.com.