Cindy (Mrs. Sheriff Ray) Cross spoke before the
County Executive Ted Rumley (left) reads the yearly Festival of Life proclamation to organizer Cindy Cross (second from left) and assembled recipients and workers.
Cindy (Mrs. Sheriff Ray) Cross spoke before the Dade County Commission at its meeting on Thursday to make sure everybody remembered that this Saturday, April 13, is the annual Dade County Festival of Life. FOL is Dade’s own and unique festival, a local fundraiser in direct benefit of local residents who are seriously ill. The beneficiaries for this year’s FOL, the sixth annual, are Mike Avery, Mike Frady and Isaac Miller. It all happens at Veterans Park on the Trenton town square.
Mike Frady suffers from a genetic disease that targets the liver and lungs. Mike Avery has a severe heart condition and has recently undergone a heart transplant. Both men have been ill for some time and have been unable to work. The third recipient, “little” Isaac Miller,” is a 9-year-old battling leukemia.
The festival is preceded at 9 a.m. by the “Kelly 5K Walk/Run,” in memory of the late Kelly Moore, honoree of the first Dade Festival of Life. Musical acts begin at 10 a.m. and last throughout the day, winding down around 4 p.m. The lineup includes the Davis Chorus, the Moore Girls, Lighthouse Worship, Tara Page, Ted “The Boss” Rumley (Dade County’s pickin’ and grinnin’ county executive) and Robby Hopkins.
There will be crafts vendors, a “kids’ zone, food prepared by the local churches, raffles, a silent auction and a cake auction. “Everybody eats,” reminded Ms. Cross. The event is meant to be a fundraiser, but Ms. Cross assured parents of hungry children it’s also meant to be a community affair where no one stays home because they can’t afford it. “We have food," she said. "It’s either free-will donation or you walk over there and get it. No one leaves hungry.”
As far as donating to this year's recipients and their families, there will be plenty of opportunities on the big day, but if you’d like to contribute directly, you can send checks to Dade County Festival of Life, P.O. Box 81, Trenton, GA 30752, or donate at the Bank of Dade. DCFOL is a nonprofit organization and your gift is tax deductible.
For more information on the Dade County Festival of Life, you can call Cindy Cross at (706) 537-2125 or Diane (Mrs. Boss) Rumley at (423) 413-3698.
The Dade County Public Library will as usual give its annual health fair to coincide with the Festival of Life, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Numerous free health screenings, free samples and free demonstrations will be available in the library between those hours.
Come out, commune with the community and support your neighbors this Saturday on the square.
