The holiday spread on this issue’s cover is what the table looks like every year at Tanya Jaynes Boatwright’s house: turkey ham, dressing, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, black-eyed peas, maple pecan sweet potatoes and collard greens, most of them made from recipes handed down through her family. “I just decorate it a little differently every year,” she says. “But that’s basically it.” Boatwright and her husband, Kevin Boatwright, have run BoJaynes Specialty Foods with their family for more than 15 years, and their shop on Keys Ferry Street in McDonough carries the same feeling. It is part natural...
Life of Literacy
About 100 educators, educational supporters, and advocates convened in Henry County for a statewide literacy conference. The Georgia Association of Literacy Advocates gathered at Creekside Christian Academy in Hampton in July 2026 for a one-day literacy summit, Literacy in Full: Science, Meaning and Voice. The event was the first of its kind in more than a decade for GALA, an organization of Georgia educators and supporters of literacy and equity. “We wanted to take the science of research and show how it looks to practice it,” explains Dr. Andrea Carter-Robin, Conference Planning Committee Chair and board member for GALA. “They...
And the Show Goes On
In McDonough, Georgia, inside an old building many people pass without a second glance, a theater has been quietly teaching a town how to gather. For 35 years, The Henry Players have survived on long nights, volunteer hands, borrowed patience, and the stubborn belief that art matters even when money is tight and the world is distracted. That belief lives in people like Amanda Massie and Melissa Rice, two women who came to the theater by different roads and stayed for the same reason. One grew up in theater and learned to love both the spotlight and the work behind...
Why Native Plants Matter in Henry County
When was the last time you noticed butterflies, ladybugs, hummingbirds, or even lightning bugs in your yard? I have a simple favor to ask: step outside and take a look at your landscape. Is it neat, green, and well-kept? Maybe a little wild? Or somewhere in between? Now ask yourself: is it truly alive? Here in Henry County, many of our landscapes are filled with plants from far beyond Georgia. While they may be ornamentally beautiful and familiar, they often provide little support for the birds, butterflies, and pollinators that keep our ecosystems thriving. Native plants, those that have grown...
A Miraculous Place for a Miracle Young Man
Before he was born, 17-year-old Mekhi Floyd faced life-threatening challenges. His mom, Altovise Floyd, became concerned about a month before...
And the Show Goes On
In McDonough, Georgia, inside an old building many people pass without a second glance, a theater has been quietly teaching...
Far East Meets South
Sweet Auburn BBQ started with a trailer in Atlanta and continued growing in popularity to now two restaurants, one on...
Personal Investments
In the process of building financial portfolios, where and how we invest our resources is of great importance. If one...
It’s Never too Late to Try Something New
For decades, Amy Iketani toyed with the idea of being a writer. In her early fifties, she decided to go...
Beautiful Legacy – Remembering Greg Horton
Greg Horton was not the type of person to seek the spotlight. Somehow, though, it found him. Not in a...
Dr. Cindy Balsam Builds Confidence First, Then College Plans
Community Christian School’s college prep culture is easy to describe on paper. Students explore multiple post-high school pathways, from four-year...
100 Years of Faith-Filled Impact
Banker. Pastor. Missionary. Farmer. Those are a few words that represent parts of Eugene (“Gene”) Dailey’s life, but there are...