Cherokee Lake Park Press

The 97th Annual Rose Show and Festival will be held Thursday-Saturday, April 26th-28th in beautiful Thomasville, Georgia. Held annually during the month of April, the Rose Show and Festival is a celebration of Thomasville’s rosy history and heritage. Vegetables- not roses! - can be given credit for starting the Rose Show in the 1920s. A few industrious local women entered their vegetables for display in the State Fair in Macon in the fall of 1920 and took home the $25 first place prize....

Last fall, more than 600 Thomasville citizens from all parts of the community took part in blueprinting the future of Thomasville. Next week, the comprehensive planning process will continue when the draft plan is shared with the community. “Since the very beginning of this effort last May, we have been so pleased with the level of participation that we have seen from community members,” said, Brian Herrmann, City Planner. “Hearing from all sectors of the community is vital to...

Daylight savings times begins this Sunday, March 11th, and Thomasville Fire Rescue reminds citizens that now is also the ideal time to change batteries and test home smoke detectors. “We change our clocks twice each year, so that’s a perfect reminder to also take time to change your smoke alarm batteries and to also test them to be sure they are working properly,” said Tim Connell, Fire Marshal. “Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan. When there is a fire, smoke...

The City of Thomasville’s Community Relations team expects hundreds of children to pack Paradise Park for the annual Easter Eggstravaganza to be held on Saturday, March 31st from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. “The City’s annual Easter Eggstravaganza is an event that our community looks forward to each year,” said Assistant Chief Eric Hampton of the Thomasville Police Department. “It’s a great opportunity for our City’s Community Relations team to get to know kids while playing...

The City of Thomasville is applying for a 2018 Community Development Block Grant for infrastructure and housing improvements in the Fletcherville neighborhood area. “These grants can potentially be used for home improvement projects like new windows, roofing, and unstable foundations,” says Lauren Radford, City of Thomasville outreach and engagement director. “The possibilities are exciting- we need the community’s help to enter a successful grant application for consideration.”...

Rev. Earl Williams began his service to the City of Thomasville in January of 1982 when he was sworn in as a member of the City Council, sharing his vast experience as a U.S. Marine, a professional baseball player, a pastor, and a middle school principal. During his service on the Council, he worked tirelessly in support of the City of Thomasville’s initiative to provide cable and internet services to the community and the renovation of Cherokee Lake Park, one of the most beloved...

Today concludes our weeklong tribute to one of Thomasville’s “Unsung Heroes,” Mr. Jack Hadley. In 1995, Mr. Hadley and his family made the decision to incorporate his collection as a non-profit organization to enable the organization to receive public support for the continued growth of his collection. In January of 2006, he began renovating 5617 square feet of space at the Frederick Douglass Complex to house his then 2000 piece Black Memorabilia collection. Thomasville’s first Black...

Today is our second post on Mr. Jack Hadley, one of Thomasville’s “Unsung Heroes” being celebrated in honor of Black History Month. It was during a tour of military duty in Spain in 1968 that Mr. Hadley began his collection of Black History Memorabilia by saving newspaper articles from the European Stars and Stripes Newspaper on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While his family was stationed in Germany, Mr. Hadley’s son, Jim Hadley, attended Wiesbaden Military...

James “Jack” Hadley, a native of Thomasville, was born at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomas County in 1936 to the late Dennis and Rosetta James Hadley. He was one of 15 children. He graduated from Douglass High School in June 1956 and enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served his country for twenty‑eight years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1984, Mr. Hadley was employed with the United States Postal Service as a City Letter Carrier for twelve years and retired on...

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has announced that Thomasville is among 13 Georgia communities to receive statewide distinction in a program recognizing excellence in community planning. In addition to Thomasville, this year’s cities to earn the PlanFirst designation include the cities of Adel, Byron, Forsyth, Griffin, Jesup, Perry, Tifton, and Crawford County. The 2018 PlanFirst communities were recognized at a ceremony at the Capitol on February 6, 2018. The...

Today is our final post honoring this week’s unsung hero, Dr. Gertrude Horne. Dr. Horne was very progressive in her thinking and was, in many ways, very much ahead of her time. Her niece, Andre’ Marria recalls that she was loved by the whole community, both the African American community and the white community. Before integration, it was rare for an African American woman to receive a loan from the bank, but because she was so well respected, she did just that and was able to build her...

A resolution was passed at the January 29th meeting of the Thomasville City Council authorizing staff to move forward with submittal of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application for Phase 2 of the Fletcherville community. The CDBG grant application will include rehabilitation of water and sewer mains in the area as well as street, sidewalk, and drainage improvements. As part of the application process, a pre-application public hearing will be conducted at the regular City...