Nestled beside Scoops on the McDonough Square is The Square Knot, a lovely hideaway where people gather to shop, craft and socialize. Ironically, it was on a Scoop’s bench that the store came to life, birthed from frustration over the lack of quality fiber arts stores south of Atlanta. “My husband I were sitting on the bench, eating ice cream, and I noticed that Mrs. Maureen’s was still for sale,” said owner, Melissa Pham. “My best friend Maria Prange and I had been talking about opening a local store for years. We were tired of driving an hour or more...
Henry County CASA
Henry County once stood alone as the last Georgia county without a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program to help local children in foster care. Although Henry CASA officially launched in 2023, many people remain unaware of the program’s existence. Executive Director Lisa Dawodu hopes to change that. “I am ecstatic to be here,” said Dawodu, who retired from her career in finance to do something more personally meaningful to her. “Without CASA, some child’s story is not going to be fully told. With CASA, we can literally change a child’s life for the good.” CASA is a nonprofit organization...
Rediscovering Tools From Kindergarten
The movement of the seasons from Spring to Summer is powerful! We see the world slowly open up as Spring begins. Trees bud, flowers bloom, grass (or weeds at my house) turns green, and the layer of thick, yellow pollen coats everything. Like all things seasonal, the buds on trees, early blooms on flowers, the light green color of early grass, and even the pollen go away. They yield to stiflingly hot days where everyone longs to camp out by a pool or relax on a beach. Summer also signifies some other significant changes in our world. Kids of all...
Familiar Faces, New Home
If you’ve been wondering what happened to your favorite husband-and-wife eye doctor team from McDonough, wonder no more—Drs. Scot and Brenda Werner are back and seeing patients at their brand-new location in Locust Grove. After more than 16 years serving the community through their former practice, McDonough Family EyeCare, the Werners have opened a new chapter with Werner Family EyeCare—a locally owned small business with a small-town feel, built on the same friendly, patient-first values. “We didn’t retire—we just moved down the road,” says Dr. Brenda. “A lot of our longtime patients lost track of us when we sold our...
Hidden Henry
Most people think tourism applies strictly to visitors. But after living in one place for a while, it might be time to become a tourist in your own hometown. Henry County is full of hidden treasures. For example, did you know there’s a Statue of Liberty in your own backyard? Tucked into Stockbridge’s Municipal Park, just across from City Hall, this miniature replica of the iconic American monument remains somewhat of a mystery, with no clear record of when it was installed or why. While Panola Mountain State Park is well known throughout the community for its events and guided...
Scoop Up Memories This Summer
On the corner of Griffin Street and Keys Ferry Street sits a group of rocking chairs under a black-and-white striped awning. The curlicue store lettering above and welcoming facade invite guests to venture inside and enjoy a sweet treat. Upon entering, guests are met with comforting aromas and an array of sweet treats—from candies to chocolates to ice cream to drinks both cold and warm and more. Brandy Blackburn, Scoops McDonough Owner and Operator, shared that Scoops hopes to evoke a sense of nostalgia with their vintage barstools, checkered floors, and variety of sweet treat offerings. “We kind of want...
The Empty Bedroom Photo
This year marks the sixth anniversary. The night before, our son Liam had shown slight signs of improvement at CHOA in his battle against C. diff. Filled with cautious hope, I decided to return the following evening, May 10, with my friend Shane. I expected to see a little boy full of renewed energy and joy. But when I opened the door to his fourth-floor hospital room, I was met with something far more heartbreaking. His albumin levels had plummeted. His lungs had filled with fluid. He was barely conscious. The sound of his voice had become sharp and strained—a...
My Creativity is How I Survive
“My opinion, from the beginning of our professional relationship, is that Mia Broder is an outstanding artist. I think anyone who views her art would agree that she is a genius with creating a relief multi-media that the observer can become lost in by forming a relationship with each. What I love about being associated with Mia for the last 20 years is watching how she ‘threads’ her emotions into a piece, as if it is an additional ‘medium’ of her visual acuity, both sensory and intellectually.” -Keith Sweat, owner of Georgian Gallery. I believe that the hard and the...
Our World School
On Lake Dow Road in McDonough stands a school like no other. Our World School launched in 2016 to provide custom-tailored education to children diagnosed with special needs. “We’re the only private, K12, special education school serving students in the south metro Atlanta area,” said Head of School Don Dunlap. While private schools aren’t required to provide each student with an IEP, or individualized education plan, OWS uses them to ease students’ transition to or from public schools and provide a level of accountability for teachers. Principal Kimberly Walden collaborates with teachers to implement each child’s IEP and support the...
Compassion and Skilled Hands
A family pet looking for a place to lay down jumps on the bed only to be startled at finding 9-year-old Kase Henderson already in the bed. In an instant, the dog reacts, and Kase is bitten on the face, tearing his nose. The family rushes to the emergency department at Piedmont Henry Hospital, where Dr. Takintope Akinbiyi, a Board-certified plastic surgeon with Advanced Aesthetics Plastic Surgery Center, is called in to care for Kase. Dr. Akinbiyi determined that Kase had suffered an extensive laceration to the left side of his nose that went through the nasal cavity, extending into...