Happy 2026!
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In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
Welcome to a wonderful new year for the next 365 days! From what I am hearing, I’m hoping this will be a year of major changes in our economy with lower taxes, lower interest rates, lower cost of goods and gas, plus larger tax refunds and, possibly, higher wages.
We spent Christmas in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, and I can assure you there was NO lack of thousands of people – including large families – spending money like there was no tomorrow! The sidewalks, streets, stores, and entertainment venues were packed from morning to night. It could take 30 minutes to drive 2-3 miles!
We have been to this area several times in the last 6-7 years, but this time was very different. The MAJORITY of the people who were there were “foreigners.” Most of the people did not speak English – mainly Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Asian. Were all of these people living here in the U.S. or were they here visiting on VISAs? We experienced this when we went to Orlando back in August, also. We really felt like we were the ones in a foreign country. Strange.
This will probably be our last trip to that particular area because we finished seeing the things we had not seen before and/or seeing places we had seen before but had upgraded since our last trip. The very first thing we did was ride the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride that we didn’t do probably six or seven years ago. Ran Wilson has complained about missing those dinosaurs the last time we were there (so did my Larry) so it was the very first thing we did when we got there! I left some of Larry’s ashes there, too.
The weather was perfect – highs around 70 with lows in the 40-50s – with mainly sunshine. We overdosed on Christmas lights and decorations plus good food! Even Christmas dinner at Paula Deen’s Restaurant. And, we finally went in to Sevierville and saw Dolly Parton’s statute! If you are a fan of putt-putt golf and/or roller coasters this is THE place for you!
So now we are back for a bit and are looking forward to more upgrades and improvements here in our great Coosa County and Rockford area. I have really enjoyed reading about what Bertha and Wade McElrath are doing in Goodwater. That was once a thriving town, and I hope it will find its way back again. It just takes people being interested and supporting the efforts that are being made. I’m hearing there are more new businesses considering coming in to Rockford, and I hope all of you in the county will come help us support them.
The next big event we all need to start thinking about is the primary campaigns for the mid-term elections in 2026. Anyone interested in running for county commissioner should contact the Republican or Democratic Party here in Coosa County for the dates of their qualifying. I haven’t kept up with it much lately, but there may also be elections for a couple of the School Board members. You can contact Beth in the Probate Office for more information on what races will be this year. AND the column from Probate Judge Rick Dean in the last edition of “The Coosa County News” was wonderful with the probate employees introducing themselves to us! We have GREAT courthouse employees, and I certainly appreciate all the personal, one-on-one service they provide!
Happy New Year to you all – let’s pray for a marvelous 2026!
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