One of the things I love about this job is getting to attend ribbon cuttings and grand openings. You get to see people you don’t see all the time and meet new ones as well. It’s just exciting when new businesses open and it gives you hope for the vitality of the community. Community support is the backbone of keeping your community vibrant and moving forward.
This past Saturday was the grand opening and ribbon cutting at Greenway Farms, out Hwy. 80. Of course, I already knew Kerry and Robin and know they are genuine, good people. They have partnered with Joy and Steve Hunt and I finally met them Saturday.
Funny thing is, I already knew Joy’s mother-in-law, from my many years in Fort Valley. I also knew Linda and Tiger Smith and their daughter, Nicolanne. I finally got to meet “Lucycat”, Nicolanne’s daughter, who is more precious in person than the photos I’ve seen on social media.
In addition, Judge Bryant Culpepper, also from my Fort Valley days, was in attendance along with a couple of others. Judye Sellier was in attendance and it’s been a while since I’ve seen her. Judye is one special lady and always lets me know how much she appreciates what we do.
Our representative Robert Dickey attended and we certainly appreciate all he does, not only in the Legislature but also on the farm. Betty and Charlie Harris were in attendance and I love seeing them. They are always so pleasant.
Jay Andrews and his wife, Pam were in attendance and people are always wanting to talk to him about one thing or another in the city. Other locals I recognized were Dan Hudson and family and of course our own Patti Temple from the chamber was on hand.
The food we eat and how it’s processed is so important to our overall health and it’s great to be able to have this available locally. It certainly helps that the people there are so wonderful.
Though the day started off rainy and dreary the rain held off and the opening was well attended and I’m happy for Greenway Farms.
Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black attended and spoke. He has always seemed so down to earth to me and his words rang true. He mentioned the fact that we need to unwind from the phone as well as talking about Georgia Grown and Greenway Farms and the importance of agriculture.
Melissa Slaughter, From the Bog by the Grace of God, was there with her locally grown plants and herbs. A newcomer to the area, Melissa has endeared herself into my heart and I have come to love her. She is the one who brought the “Thank you Jesus” signs to our area and I can attest that she loves Jesus.
The only negative of the day for me was the fact that people and their cell phones are so rude when taking photos. We still need to be courteous to others. One lady really infuriated me by getting right in the way of everyone trying to get a ribbon cutting photo. Of course, this was not any fault of anyone involved in getting the day going, but it is one of my pet peeves.
My hubby keeps telling me we need to take a step ladder so we can get above them and after Saturday, I believe he’s right. For newspaper purposes, cell phones do not take good enough photos as the resolution is too low and I have forbid my employees to use them unless it is the only way to get a photo.
But that had nothing to do with the good folks at Greenway Farms. Even their marketing people were courteous when taking photos.
I tried the Boston Butt and it was out of this world, as were the garlic pickles. My hubby liked the bread and butter ones the best. I also sampled the coffee from Heartland Acres Homestead in Dry Branch, which was also good. Heartland also has microgreens.
It was just a good day of fellowship with down home folks who remind you there are plenty of wonderful people in our communities. All the bad news going around in the world, makes you forget that at times, so it’s good to be reminded.
Greenway is in hopes of expanding hours down the road and I pray that works out for them. Maybe sometime in the not too distant future, they might think about a satellite location in town for those people who can’t travel the six miles to them.
You can not only get meat without hormones or antibiotics that is pasture raised, but fresh eggs, honey, jellies, pickles and more.
Greenway Farms is part of the Georgia Grown program which is a marketing and economic development program of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Their No. 1 goal is to aid our agricultural economies by bringing together producers, processors, suppliers, distributors, retailers, agri-tourism and consumers in one powerful, statewide community. All products are grown or produced in Georgia.
For your health and the health of your community and state, make an effort to buy locally grown food. Your body will thank you for it.
Congratulations to Greenway Farms. If you missed it Saturday, they are open every Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and located on Hwy. 80 West about six miles out. ©2019

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com