AC repair inPine Harbor, GA

When you think about the state of Iowa, you probably don't think of islands. But, according to the website Anyplace America, Iowa is actually home to over 100 different islands! One of those islands is called Sans Souci.

Sans Souci, which means "no worries" in French, is located in the Cedar River over in Waterloo. The 100-acre island is mostly woodlands now, but about 15 years ago, it was home to around 50 people. Unfortunately, the Flood of 2008 caused "unsalvageable damage" to the island, forcing all the residents to evacuate. The website Atlas Obscura attributes the severe flooding to a breached sandbag dike.

Long before the island was called Sans Souci, it was known as Merwin’s Island. Back in the 1800s, Atlas Obscura said it "provided timber for bridges that crossed the Cedar River." Over time, homes and cottages, a golf course, and a hotel called the Sans Souci Hotel were built. After the flood, all of the housing was cleared, and the City of Waterloo website says that it is now "a passive recreation area with a trail in the woods and river access for fishing." As of now, there are still no facilities, like restrooms, or utilities on the island.

Although there are no firm plans to make any changes to Sans Souci Island right now, the City of Waterloo website says that, eventually, "the expectation would be to create a new dock, pedestrian access improvements, concrete restroom building, and lighting." Until then, nature-enthusiasts will have to enjoy the land as-is!

Another island here in Eastern Iowa is Sabula, Iowa's only island city. Located in Jackson County, Only in Your State says that the island is only one mile long and a quarter mile wide. The 2020 census reports that around 500 people currently live on the island, but it's also a popular vacation destination for Midwesterners! It is home to a harbor, a campground, a beach, a couple of bed & breakfasts, a few bars and restaurants, a gift shop, a library, and a convenience store. It looks like a beautiful place!

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On the County Talk edition of KGVO’s Talk Back show on Wednesday, Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier provided an update on the effort to return passenger rail service to Montana.

Strohmaier said it was a constituent who asked him to look into the possibility of resuming the service after a 47-year hiatus.

“One of my constituents here in Missoula reached out with the idea of what about passenger rail and he told me about the benefits,” began Strohmaier. “I actually was one of those folks who did not realize that we had Amtrak service back in 1979. So there are those vestiges of the past where passenger rail did play a prominent role in our community and certainly at the north end of Higgins Avenue, there is a train station. It's currently being used for other things right now, but we are in discussions with community leaders about what would it take to bring that back into service.”

Strohmaier touted the creation of the Passenger Rail Authority.

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“I think one of the best examples of why we’re talking about the rail authority is that we created the Rail Authority in the year 2020,” he said. “We're currently the largest transportation district in the state of Montana, the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. We began with 12 counties. We're now up to 20 counties as Treasure County became our 20^th county last week. Why are these counties, many of which are pretty small, sparsely populated, rural, deeply conservative counties in eastern Montana interested in this?”

Strohmaier provided one example of a remote Montana county where passenger rail would solve a multitude of problems.

“County Commissioner constituents there in Prairie County have to travel 175 miles to catch a plane to seek medical services,” he said. “And from a transportation standpoint, many of these folks who need air travel, medical services or other services are either unable to drive and find it extremely inconvenient. So just from the standpoint of providing transportation options, rail fills a gap we currently do not have.”

Strohmaier closed by stating that passenger rail combined with freight would enhance the state’s economy, but additional infrastructure would be necessary.

“We are not contemplating cramming additional train sets and passenger rail sets onto the existing infrastructure without infrastructure upgrades,” he said. “BNSF Railway is on our board of directors they are with us in this undertaking as is Amtrak and the Montana Department of Transportation. We all recognize that what benefits passenger rail also benefits freight and vice versa. We have under-invested in our rail system in this country compared to other places around the globe and safety is something that is first and foremost in our thinking. So when we are restoring passenger rail, we recognize those enhancements are going to benefit the safety of freight rail operations also.”

Find out more about the Passenger Rail Authority by clicking here.

The 2023 Bourbon & Beyond Festival lineup has been announced! Danny Wimmer Presents have marked off the weekend of Sept. 14-17 for the annual music and drink weekend. Heading up the 2023 festival will be Brandi Carlile, The Killers, The Black Keys and Bruno Mars.

“Bourbon & Beyond is our love letter to the city of Louisville and the great state of Kentucky,” says Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “We can’t wait to showcase why Louisville has become our home away from home, so having the opportunity to curate an unbelievable festival experience rooted in amazing musical performances combined with our passion for bourbon and culinary arts is our dream come true.” Over 140,000 people packed last year's event and you can look for a huge turnout for the 2023 event at the Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center.

As for the lineup, Wimmer says, “We were totally blown away by Brandi Carlile’s performance at Bourbon & Beyond last year. She is the voice of a generation and her set had such an impact on the crowd, we immediately knew we had to bring her back as a headliner. Having her return as a headliner, along with Bruno Mars, The Killers, The Black Keys as well as 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Duran Duran, wow … we can’t wait to share the great community and spirit of bourbon country with the world.”

Over 65 music acts in all will perform over the course of the four days. In addition to the headliners, rock fans can look forward to sets from Duran Duran, The Black Crowes, Blondie, Spoon, The Gaslight Anthem, City and Colour and plenty more.

You'll also see sets from Billy Strings, The Avett Brothers, Train, Hozier, Jon Batiste, Brittany Howard, Ryan Bingham, Babyface, Midland, Bastille, First Aid Kit, Old Crow Medicine Show, Buddy Guy, Aloe Blacc, Wayne Newton, Mavis Staples, Inhaler, Paolo Nutini, ZZ Ward, Fantastic Negrito, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Luke Grimes, The Lone Bellow, Joy Oladokun, Maggie Rose, Hailey Whitters, Darrell Scott Band, Danielle Ponder, Dumpstaphunk, Boy Named Banjo, Brandy Clark, John Primer, Willie Jones, Stephen Wilson Jr., Drayton Farley, Goodbye June, As You Were, Vivi Rincon, Kelsey Waloon, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, The Lil Smokies, Twisted Pine, The Cleverlys, Town Mountain, Della Mae, Sunny War, Lindsay Lou, Dan Tyminski and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen.

The other big portion of the festival is the "Bourbon" part. There will be daily workshops and demonstrations at the Team Kentucky Bourbon Stage Presented by Kentucky Proud and the Kentucky Venues Culinary Stage Presented by GE Appliances, pairing world-renowned master distillers and celebrity chefs with guest artist appearances and a who’s who of Kentucky personalities. The complete lineup of bourbon and culinary talents will be revealed this summer.

Single day, weekend, and VIP passes, along with camping are on sale now for as low as $10 down at BourbonandBeyond.com, or fans can purchase festival passes at DWPBourbon.com to utilize ShopPay or AfterPay payment methods.

Also new in 2023, Bourbon & Beyond is proud to elevate the festival camper experience with Glamping offerings for both tent and RV in the Barrel and Oak Coves. VIP passes include exclusive perks with options including The Mint VIP Experience and Angel’s Envy Beyond VIP, which features all-inclusive drinks and complimentary curated bites from chef Anthony Lamas of Louisville’s famed Seviche restaurant.

Head to the Bourbon and Beyond website for ticketing info and questions about the music weekend.

Columnist

DARIEN – After a weekend here, I came away with new friends and an insight into the life and times of a seaside community which has experienced the vagaries of life — some good, some bad — but now appears headed for headier times.

Darien will be a place to visit for a variety of reasons. You can come here to commune with nature. You may choose the seat of McIntosh County for unsurpassed scenic beauty or to hunt and fish. Premier golf courses in the area are as prevalent as boat docks.

For sure, if you haven’t done so, you need to take a respite here for the blessing of the fleet the third weekend in April. That would be the annual blessing of the shrimp boats which ply the Atlantic for some of the healthiest shrimp on the Eastern seaboard.

The influence of the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island is a “world renown field destination that supports research and education in coastal ecosystems.” The institute has set high standards for those dealing with the harvesting of fish, shrimp, and oysters.

Pollution is enemy No. 1 for the Institute. UGA is one of the few land grant and sea grant colleges. Research by the Institute is often headline making and enhances the economic wellbeing of those who work and play in this part of our diverse state. These and other positives are making Darien attractive to business and development.

“The future of Darien,” says Art Lucas, who has invested in real estate here, “is very bright. The town is about to experience an upswing in positive growth. There is energy in Darien’s step.”

More:Stopping into Hoboken, Ga., to see where the legend of Stetson Bennett got its start

With Art’s upscale “Oaks on the River” boutique hotel as an anchor, early morning rising habits connected me with Jeremy Clark, Bishal Singh and Tom Wood, all bent with genuine hospitality which enhanced the atmosphere of our home away from home on the Darien River.

An extended conversation with Wood when he offered me a much-needed cup of coffee — it was 5:30 a.m. and I had been up for an hour — made my day. A liver transplant, brought about by a heredity influence, has extended his life; if anyone has permanently accentuated the positive, it is this jack of all trades (and master of all), motorcycle riding, internet junkie who will find an app that will inform you how to operate a locomotive or a giant crane or how to fix a flat bicycle tire if such is needed.

He is so intrigued by how such things work, that he connected with an app that allowed him to simulate a jetliner cockpit that allowed him to pilot a jetliner from LaGuardia In New York to London Heathrow. When he isn’t satiating his curiosity with such as that, you might find him jumping in the kitchen and help wash the dishes. The maintenance man is a Renaissance man — one who, with his wife Stacey in tow might ride off to Greenville, S. C. “for a burger and fries.” As he says, “just ridin'” makes their day.

At the counter at Art Lucas’ handsome bar, which is made of cedar from the family farm, our conversation was pleasantly interrupted by Doris Nelson and her husband Selwyn. He is from Trinidad; she grew up in McIntosh County and they have lived in New York for years. They have “come home” and wanted to thank Art for his commitment to enhancing life on the banks of the Darien River. Art thanked them for their endorsement and gave credit to his general manager, Bernard Sarme, who has “managed five-star hotels all over the world.”

At breakfast one morning, soon after a memorable sunrise over the marsh, Steve and Paula Lloyd took an adjoining table, soon disclosing that she was born in Athens, and he is a UGA graduate. They are overwhelmed to be free from the issues of high-density traffic in suburban Atlanta.

“Coming here has changed our outlook on life,” Steve said.

It has changed Colleen Conley’s, too. She is from Boston but settled in nearby Pine Harbor for two primary reasons. “I don’t like the cold and the politics up North.” Her comment made me recall an assessment of New England by a former owner of the Red Sox, Haywood Sullivan, who was from Ft. Myers, Fla. In a taped interview he once said: “Ever hear of anybody retiring and moving up North.”

On the day of our departure (parting was such sweet sorrow), a rabid Bulldog fan drove up from Waverly for breakfast. A mutual friend, Jason Payne, had facilitated an introduction to Brandon Chonko, who is the grandson of a former Bulldog lineman Bill Chonko. Brandon’s Bulldog heritage makes him do things like commencing to cry when Kelee Ringo scored against Alabama in Indianapolis last January.

Brandon farms 31 acres, growing a variety of things including hogs which give off tasty bacon. He has a creative bent, too. He writes a column for the Camden County Tribune and Georgian and has a radio show on WBQO in Brunswick. How ‘bout this pig farmer? Stay tuned.

To many people, “bog” conjures up images of quagmires and sucking mud, wastelands to be drained and built on or dug up for fishing ponds.

But to nature lovers like me, bogs are beautiful, places where some of nature’s most interesting — and rarest — plants live. Biologists say that bogs and related natural areas, such as pine savannah wetlands, are some of Georgia’s most extraordinary ecosystems because they can contain some of the world’s highest diversities of plant species.

In particular, several so-called “seepage bogs” in Georgia’s Coastal Plain region have a special combination of clay, acidic soil, slow drainage, low nutrient levels and other conditions that make them havens for pitcher plants, bladderworts, sundews and other carnivorous plants — species that amazingly trap and digest insects and small animals for nourishment.

The promise of seeing a galore of pitcher plants drew several of us Georgia Botanical Society members recently to a bog in South Georgia‘s Turner County. The bog (which yet has no name) lived up to its billing: Rarely have we seen such a magnificent growth of pitcher plants and other Coastal Plain bog species in one place.

Along with numerous other bog plants, the 8.8-acre site harbors three pitcher plant species — hooded, yellow trumpet and parrot (a protected species) pitcher plants. Surrounding it is a pine savannah that also harbors a rich variety of species, including longleaf pine and wiregrass, that once covered most of the Coastal Plain but are found now only in scattered remnants.

The bogs are heavily dependent on occasional fire to keep them sunny and free of competing vegetation. But fire suppression, development, logging, farming and other factors have caused the loss of numerous Coastal Plain bogs.

The Turner County bog itself was slated for development, but when conservationists (including the landowner himself) learned of its ecological importance, they joined together in 2012 to permanently protect it. It has been turned over to the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Foundation in Tifton to be used as a “learning lab” for students.

IN THE SKY: The moon will be last quarter on Monday, said David Dundee, a Tellus Science Center astronomer. Mercury is low in the west just after dark. Mars is in the west at dusk. Jupiter is low in the east just before sunrise. Saturn is in the west just after dark and sets before 9 p.m.