AC repair inEulonia, GA

DARIEN, Ga. (WTOC) - Locals say one grocery store has made all the difference for the Darien community, and now, the store’s staff is celebrating a major milestone.

This week marks one year since the opening of The Coastal Market in Darien, and shoppers say it’s filling an important need in the community.

It’s safe to say Buddy Phillips is a frequent shopper at the Coastal Market. He’s here at the store -

“Every day. 365 days a year.”

“You come here every day?”

“Yeah!”

Phillips, like many shoppers in Darien say they’re glad to have easier access to fresh foods. Before The Coastal Market, people in the area lived about 30 minutes from the closest grocery store.

“I used to drive all the way to Brunswick or Eulonia, so this is very convenient,” said Phillips.

Last year, Darien went three months without a full grocery store, when the previous and only store in town permanently closed, Then, the Coastal Market opened in the same location last July.

“We just felt the need in the community to provide a service here, to not let this be a food desert. We had a unique opportunity to do it,” said owner James McKinzie.

Something McKinzie says is critical for this small, coastal city.

“We have a large population that can’t travel that far. A lot of folks decide to convenience shop, no one wants to drive 25 to 30 minutes to pick up some groceries.”

With many feeling the impacts of inflation and high gas prices, shoppers say every bit helps.

“You can get everything here, and it doesn’t take $5 in gas,” said Richard Sullivan.

And over the past year, McKinzie says business has been good.

“We’re able to be here and provide that service for them, and they’re happy about it, and they’ve proven that they are because they’re supporting us, and we couldn’t do this without them. "

McKinzie says he plans on this store staying open for years to come.

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State fire marshal says arson likely cause of Saturday morning blaze in northern McIntosh County

DARIEN | Four days after a suspected arson destroyed the Smallest Church in America in northern McIntosh County, donations of building materials and cash are pouring in to rebuild the 190-square-foot structure, officials said.

The fire was reported just before 1 a.m. and firefighters found it burning throughout when they arrived, McIntosh County Fire Chief Mark Deverger said.

The fire was put out quickly, but because the structure is so small it was a total loss, he said.

Justin Lamb, an investigator with the McIntosh County Sheriff's Office, said a state fire marshal concluded that the fire was not started by an electrical short and was most likely arson.

The church is kept up by donations that visitors dropped through a slot in a safe and, Sam Clark, a contractor and firefighter, pointed out a spot where it appeared someone had tried to use a torch to cut into the safe.

The fire marshal had reached the same conclusion, Lamb said.

"From what he could tell, someone had tried to force it open,'' and the caretaker said the damage had not been there earlier, Lamb said.

Frank Williams and Clark were at the church early Tuesday taking measurements to calculate what would be needed to rebuild the little non-denominational tourist attraction on U.S. 17 just south of the Interstate 95 interchange at Southport.

"It's going to be rebuilt soon,'' Williams said. "Money's coming. Lumber's coming. It'll be done by Christmas."

A stack of donated 2-by-4's lay on the edge of the property, and Clark said demolition wouldn't be a problem. The fire was so hot it cracked the concrete block walls, he said, pulling a block down with one hand.

The small pews and pulpit burned, but the safe was still intact mounted on a wall.

The church is 19 feet deep long and 9 feet, 6 inches wide and was built in 1949 by grocer Agnes Harper, who stipulated it be deeded to Jesus Christ.

The sign says visitors are welcome and most of those who stop at the church are visitors.

County State Court Judge Jean Bolin stopped by Tuesday morning and said it had no services but that "thousand of people stop by here."

Pete and Elva Mills, who own a vacation house at nearby Shellman Bluff, came to see the damage on their way home to Millen.

"I've been coming down here since before I knew it,'' Pete Mills said.

Elva Mills said she brought their 6-year-old triplet grandsons, Baxter, Taylor and Mills Cates, to the church the day before Thanksgiving and took pictures of them inside and out.

"Everybody I brought down here I had to stop and show them this precious church,'' she said.

The has been the site of some marriage proposals and many weddings.

Lamb said there was a wedding there about 6 p.m. Friday.

Investigators don't believe those in the wedding party were local, but they're trying to track them down to speak with them, Lamb said.

Terry Dickson: (912) 264-0405

DARIEN, Ga. (WTOC) - A good deed has turned into a growing problem at Darien Outlet Center.

A colony of cats is now living in front of an antique shop and more are being abandoned there.

The owners of Southern Picker Antiques say the shop and its warehouse closed around three to four years ago.

But all of the stuff left behind is now becoming a home to almost 30 feral cats.

When Darien Outlet Center was still in business, we’re told the night guards would feed a few stray cats. And when the mall closed a few turned into many.

And that’s when the antique shop owners stepped in.

“I mistakenly, I guess, started feeding the cats because they were really hungry,” said James Allen, owner of Southern Picker Antiques.

We reached out to property management and a spokeswoman says quote, “Our on-site maintenance team asked the owners to stop feeding the cats.”

Allen tells me he was trying to do the right thing, but that heartfelt action has now turned into a difficult situation.

“This really has not been a good situation for us because we put out thousands of dollars feeding these cats,” he said.

Not only are the owners feeding the cats, but they’re also getting them neutered. Allen says the outside of his shop has become a dumping ground for people getting rid of un-neutered cats.

“People who drop their cats off here, they’re not doing their cats any favor because cats may not be getting fed regularly,” he said.

The owners say they have stopped feeding the cats, but unfortunately, the public will come by to feed them.

We spoke to McIntosh County Animal Services’s director. She says she knows about the cat colony but her hands are tied.

“I’ve gotten no official complaints from the property management and without that, there’s really not anything I could do," she said.

But there’s something that the public can do. The owners are asking people to not feed the cats anymore. And if you are looking to get rid of your cat or have it neutered, there are options in McIntosh County.

You can contact McIntosh Animal Services at 912.437.4242.

Copyright 2019 WTOC. All rights reserved.

We’re lucky enough to live in a state that has a slice of geography smack dab on the Atlantic Ocean. Not every state in the country is lucky enough to be right on the ocean, or even surrounded by great bodies of water such as the Altamaha River. It’s important to highlight the tiny towns along the coast that are the bread and butter of what makes Georgia’s coastline so special. This tiny beach town in Georgia, for instance, you may have never heard of — but after learning all about it, a visit may be in order. It may not be on the ocean, but its riverfront location gives it that beach and waterfront charm that this area of the state is known for. Here are the best things to do in Darien, Georgia.

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This Underrated Trail Is Quite Possibly The Best Biking and Walking Path In Georgia

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Have you ever been to this small beach town in Georgia? Share with us your experience! Otherwise, if you’re looking to learn a little bit more about Altie, Darien’s own Loch Ness monster, check out our article about the mythical creature in Georgia.

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Marisa Roman | September 27, 2020

What is the oldest city in Georgia?

The oldest city in Georgia is Savannah, which was established in 1733 right along the banks of the Savannah River. The city itself has changed over the years, but it still is filled with history and beauty throughout. Make sure you check out these 10 fascinating things you probably didn’t know about Savannah before you visit.

What is the smallest town in Georgia?

The smallest town in Georgia is Edge Hill. With a population of around 24 people back in 2010, we doubt that this town has increased in size by too much in the last decade. If you want to keep going on the small town list, then check out these 10 super tiny towns in Georgia that you might not have known existed.

Are there any beach towns in Georgia?

The best beach towns in Georgia are:

Ready for a beach getaway in Georgia? Looking to spend the weekend on the coast but don’t know which town to visit? Don’t worry, we have a few to choose from. Since Georgia is one of the few states with direct access to the Atlantic, there are a few towns right on the water that deserve a visit. St. Simons Island in Georgia is filled with history and a relaxed community spirit. Meanwhile, St. Mary’s is known as one of the oldest spots in the entire country! Jekyll Island in Georgia is another gem where you can spend a weekend right on the beach. If you want to know more, then check out these charming waterfront towns in Georgia.

Clemson University provides long-gone purple ribbon cane to farm in Eulonia

EULONIA, GA. | Almost 90 sugar cane plants went into soil Tuesday on a farm in northern McIntosh County, which is not all that uncommon.

But Jerome Dixon saw it differently.

"This is historic,'' he said, because some of the plants are purple ribbon cane, a strain that Thomas Spalding introduced on Sapelo Island around 1800.

Stephen Kresovich, a Clemson University professor of plant genetics and biochemistry, has been trying to track down some original purple ribbon cane, and those plants could be the start of something big for Dixon.

The cane will be grown into mature stalks of cane that will be cut down and planted in segments, or billets, to sprout as cane. The roots, if left in the ground, will sprout themselves for up to four years, but Dixon has plans for the cane stalks.

"September, this is going back to Sapelo,'' he said.

"What's got me excited is this is such a historical event. Spalding was a slave holder,'' Dixon said. "Some of my ancestors handled this cane."

Dixon figures that purple ribbon cane could be McIntosh County's Vidalia onion, a crop with a unique taste tied to a region.

"Why not bring this cane back to the place it was first grown?" Dixon asked.

Spalding owned much of Sapelo Island and grew sea island cotton there and built Georgia's first sugar mill. Dixon said Spalding used ribbon cane in his mill.

"He built this industry with the sugary, very sweet, frost resistant cane,'' Dixon said.

Whether any of the 89 plants that will grow at Georgia Coastal Gourmet Farms have the DNA of purple ribbon cane will be virtually impossible to determine, said Matt Myers, who works with Kresovich in plant research.

"We helped him gather all the germ plasm,'' Myers said, from a variety of sources in South Carolina, Louisiana and Florida.

"The last known purple ribbon was grown in 2007 in South Africa,'' Myers said.

"These are all named purple ribbon,'' Myers said, pointing to a row of cane sprouts in planters beside raised beds.

Tracking purple ribbon can be difficult, he said.

"Somebody here in Georgia gave it to somebody in Louisiana. He might have called it Louisiana red stripe,'' Myers said.

Kelsey Zielinski had cared for the cane in a Clemson greenhouse.

She trimmed it frequently to make sure the energy went into building strong stalks rather than making leaves, she said.

Zielinski said she took DNA samples of all the cane, but it will be hard to match it unless someone can provide a definite link to purple ribbon cane.

"We've been contacting museums and historians on the East Coast,'' she said, "even some of the distilleries that used cane in their rum."

For Dixon, though, he is hopeful it is the real thing. Tuesday, he was doing what he likes best, putting plants into the raised beds with drip irrigation and black plastic covers. He is an old hand at planting and was standing on family land where peanuts, corn and sugar cane grew.

Now he and his partner, Flowery Branch pathologist Bill Thomas, operate it as a gourmet farm, growing and marketing vegetables locally.

"This is where he would love to be,'' Dixon said of Thomas.

Asked if he thought the cane would grow, Dixon grabbed a fist full of the soil that he said will grow about anything.

He hopes purple ribbon cane works as well as Sapelo red peas, an old staple of the island that had almost disappeared.

Lifelong island resident Cornelia Bailey kept the peas going and now people want them.

"We brought that pea back. It's almost like a gold rush,'' and now they're bringing back the cane, he said.

Terry Dickson: (912) 264-0405