Sometimes seemingly mundane items can trigger connections – sometimes unexpected connections. Such was the case last Friday when the University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscripts Library brought some of its collections to the Eatonton-Putnam County Library and next door at The Plaza and its Old School History Museum (OSHM).

Shortly before the school year ended, several third graders at Putnam County Elementary School (PCES) tried on the role of business owners through a hands-on school project. The students had to create pretend businesses from start to finish, from business plans to operations, working out the details under the guidance of PCES third-grade ELA and Social Studies teacher Dr. Thomas, who came up with the idea of the project.

On Saturday, with the Dairy Festival going on across the street, three painters from the Color the World Bright program, directed by UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art Professor Joseph Norman, labored all day creating downtown Eatonton’s newest public artwork.

Though no official count is available, several longtime Eatonton residents suggested Saturday’s crowd for the 62nd Putnam County Dairy Festival, presented by The Pilot Club, was one of the largest they’d ever seen, and certainly the biggest of recent years. Estimates ranged from 5,000 to 10,000 attendees, with the only thing known for certain it was a successful event on all fronts.

The Pilot Club’s 62nd Putnam County Dairy Festival provided local families and visitors with a wholesome throwback to a simpler time on Saturday. Punctuated by parades, barbecues, beauty queens, rides and games for the kids, and even a live cow, the Dairy Festival had something for all tastes – especially if it related to milk or dairy products.

An Eatonton man was shot at the Shell Food Mart Sunday afternoon and later died at the hospitals, authorities say. The alleged shooter was in custody approximately 24 hours later.

Two door-to-door salesmen picked the wrong house Saturday and ended up in the Putnam County jail. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills was outside working in his yard Saturday afternoon when two men in a pickup truck pulled into his driveway.

Throughout the 2022‘23 school semesters, Putnam County High School (PCHS) offered an Advanced Placement (AP) art class for the second-straight year, in which students created a portfolio of art that included five completed works and interim submissions as parts of a sustained investigation.

The 7th annual Lake Country Juried Art Show took place May 11, at Barrel 118 in Eatonton. This year the show featured 95 works from 48 artists from Lake Country, as well as Athens and Macon.

Another person was killed in a crash over the weekend, making the third to die on Lake Country roads in two weeks. A Madison woman died, and her husband was seriously injured in a single-car wreck during the wee hours of the morning Sunday on Lower Harmony Road in Eatonton, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills.