Oconee Co High School Marching Band Somehow I never did get around to posting the pictures from the Watkinsville Christmas Parade this year. The morning starteed out cold and sunny and there was a lot of excitement along Barnett Shoals Road where everyone was lining up.  The horses were unloading on the lawn at the Southwire plant and the tractors were reving up their engines along Industrial Drive.  Many people were having coffee & breakfast at Miss Gail's restaurant where they could have a good view of the beginning of the parade.  Just as the parade started at 11:00 a.m. the clouds began to roll in, but rain held off.  I had a great vantage point at the corner of Barnett Shoals and Main Street.  The crowd there kept inching out into the street as the parade went on as the children ... 12/26/2008

  Oconee Co High School Marching Band Somehow I never did get around to posting the pictures from the Watkinsville Christmas Parade this year. The morning starteed out cold and sunny and there was a lot of excitement along Barnett Shoals Road where everyone was lining up.  The horses were unloading on the lawn at the Southwire plant and the tractors were reving up their engines along Industrial Drive.  Many people were having coffee & breakfast at Miss Gail's restaurant where they could have a good view of the beginning of the parade.  Just as the parade started at 11:00 a.m. the clouds began to roll in, but rain held off.  I had a great vantage point at the corner of Barnett Shoals and Main Street.  The crowd there kept inching out into the street as the parade went on as the children ... 12/26/2008

December 6th started out a little chilly but warmed up nicely when the sun came out - perfect weather for the Watkinsville Christmas parade at 11am. I got to meet up with one of my favorite mortgage lenders, Amy Coile and her two oh so cute kids - Rylee and Coleman, to watch the parade as it came down Main Street!  This year's theme was "Home for the Holidays" and there were many veterans honored. I took a ton of photos so I decided to break them up into two groups for you - that way they won't take quite as long to load.  I don't know how much candy was thrown out to the kids, but it had to be thousands of pounds.  The air was FULL of candy when Santa came along on the firetruck! Here is the slideshow of 1st half of the parade:   Here is the 2nd half of the parade:   The photo below ju... 12/12/2008

 Watkinsville, GA home sales were down slightly in November, just about 2% from the month before. The average selling price was just slightly down from flat but the median price dropped almost 3%. Overall, for the year, the average selling price was down about 1% and the total volume is down about 30. The average Days on Market has remained constant now for  three months in a row.      Watkinsville          Date DOM  Average     Median    # sold 1-Jan-08 168   $334,504.00    $290,530.00    285 1-Feb-08 171   $330,426.00    $290,000.00    279 1-Mar-08 176   $327,049.00    $288,250.00    278 1-Apr-08 177   $321,762.00    $275,000.00    274 1-May-08 184   $319,412.00    $270,000.00    273 1-Jun-08 184   $320,944.00    $275,000.00    268 1-Jul-08 183   $329,444.00    $285,050.00    250 1-Au... 12/08/2008

Come to Watkinsville, GA thi weekend to complete your holiday shopping !  The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (commonly known locally as "OCAF") is hosting its annual Holiday Market this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6 & 7 from 10:00 am to 5 pm at the OCAF center at the end of School Street in Watkinsville.  There will be 70 area arts & craft people who will sell original items including pottery, paintings, fiber art, stained & fused glass, jewelry (my favorite) photography, woodwork and other items.  Stay after the Watkinsville Christmas parade, buy some great chicken mull at the Watkinsville Christian Church at the corner of Simonton Bridge Rd. and Main St. and then head on over to OCAF! 12/03/2008

All pictures below are the exclusive property of Diane Boykin.   Yesterday I was out walking our Jack Russell, Sadie, and just had to take pictures of a few of the beautiful trees in my neighborhood, Hickory Hill, in Oconee County.  I'm not sure if this fall is especially colorful or we just forget how awesome fall can be right here.  It isn't even necessary to go to the mountains to enjoy the leaves this year.  I thought I'd share some of the trees with you.         Maple on Ramblewood Place                           Bradford Pear                             Maple in woods                                                                     Huge Golden Hickory Tree                                         When we walked by my neighbor, Mary's house, she had the same idea that I did and w... 11/11/2008

 The volume of annual home sales for the Watkinsvill area declined in October by just over 5% while the average Days on Market remained constant. The median sales price showed a drop of 2.5% while the average home selling price went down just over 1/2%. Overall the average hoe sales price in Watkinsville has remained flat since January. The below table shows the sliding 12 month home sales figures for Watkinsville:      Watkinsville        Date DOM  Average     Median  # sold 1-Jan 168    $334,504.00    $290,530.00       285 1-Feb 171    $330,426.00    $290,000.00       279 1-Mar 176     $327,049.00    $288,250.00       278 1-Apr 177    $321,762.00    $275,000.00       274 1-May 184    $319,412.00    $270,000.00       273 1-Jun 184    $320,944.00    $275,000.00       268 1-Jul 183    $3... 11/03/2008

What a great day we had at the Watkinsville Fall Festival on Saturday!!  There were tons of kids having fun and lots of food consumed.  It looked like many people were purchasing crafts, too. All pictures below are the property of Diane Boykin                  Fun things for kids                                                                                                                  Bungee Jumping                                                        Pony Rides     Children loved the corn boxes provided by the Agribusiness Committee of the Chamber.                                 There was a quilt booth                 There were baby chicks            Russ Page cooked beef brisket for the Clarke-Oconee Cattlemen's Association                 Jennifer Bond promoted recylcing fo... 10/24/2008

Monday, October 20th is the final concert of the year for the Ashford Manor Concert on the Lawn Series and you won't want to miss the Brothers of Unity.  Brothers is a group of local musicians who have played with other bands.  The members include Doug White, Larry Freeman, Bill Pappas, Danny Anthony, Kenny Brawner, Randy Peterman and Roy Stephens.  Their Motown sound will include hits from the '60's and '70's. Opening for the Brothers of Unity will be the varsity band of the Oconee School of Rock from the Full Moon Studio in Watkinsville.  We can't wait to hear what they can do. So everybody come on down to the Manor, bring your chairs, blankets, picnic supper and beverages of choice, listen and dance the night away!   Tickets are $12 for adults, $5.00 for children under 12 and kids un... 10/07/2008

When we returned from a week's vacation I picked up the newspaper and was saddned to read Jim Shearon had died suddenly.  Jim, his brother David, friend Mario and mother Louise came here in 1997 and purchased the Ashford home, turning it into Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast.  They have opened the property to the public for concerts on the lawn, fund raisers such as Grace's Birthday Party and Wine Festival and many other events. I remember when they first came they hosted an ice cream social to welcome the community to Ashford Manor.  Over the years they became an important part of the community and instrumental in promoting Watkinsville. Previously, Jim had been a costume designer working with Broadway, the Met and designed for Prince, among others.  After moving to Watkinsville, he hel... 10/06/2008

Are Watkinsville home sales bottoming? Data from September shows that with a decrease of 1 sales were virtually flat with August. The sliding 12 month sales figures indicate a decrease in sales volume holding steady at just under 26% for the last two month. The average number of days the sold home is on the market is still slightly increasing but overall it is only a 6-1/2% increase since the beginning of the year.The median sales price has continued to rise, up just over 17% since Jan. 1. The average sales price is down from the previous two months but virtually even with the beginning of the year. The median sales price is down also.The following chart shows the sliding 12 month figures: Date  DOM   Average    Median    # sold 1-Jan 168   $334,504.00  $290,530.00 285 1-Feb 171   $330,... 10/02/2008

In just a few month, students at the Watkinsville, GA campus of Gainesville State College will begin to enjoy their multi purpose buildings.  Right now parking is a little frustrating as much of the parking area is blocked off due to the construction, but everything should be back to normal by mid December. Students have great activities to choose from coming this October, including a poetry reading by Speaker/Poet Gabriela Garcia-Medina, and a Hispanic Film Series.  One of the planned features for the new multipurpose building is to be able to offer more activities to the student body.     09/28/2008

I just love it when my fellow community members swing by the pharmacy or see me out in public and ask me how the real estate market is treating me. This has been my best year ever and they always have a shock or smirk on their face when I tell them that EVERYTHING IS AWESOME......FOR ME.that's when they come back with, Really? Huh? Well my house has been on the market.....or my aunt in California has....blah, blah blahblahblah. First of all, If there home is on the market with a competitor, I hope that they did there homework and found an agent that delivers a product. Secondly, homes sell when the prices are right!!!!!!!!! A wise Real Estate wizard grand master once told me that people do not buy houses, they buy benefits. If the price is right for the benefit the house sells. End of d... 09/21/2008

On Friday I took our visitine out-of-town friend to the First Friday on Main in Watkinsville to see what was going on.  Although there weren't as many people downtown as I have seen in the past, probably due to the fact that there were several high school football games Friday night.         However, there were a lot of events for children, including 2 trains, arts and craft activities, a rock climbing wall, moonwalk  and other activities.                               Additionally, there was a booth promoting Grace's  Birthday Party coming up at Ashford Manor on September 21 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM.  For more information about Gracie's party, go to WWW.gracesbirthday.com.    It was a bit disappointing that only a few of the shops were open this month.  Maybe next time. Anyway, we had a g... 09/08/2008

But the news is still mixed. In Watkinsville the sliding 12 month sales figures have shown a steady increase in both the average and median sales prices of homes since May with the last two months averages above the figures from Jan. 1. At the same time D.O.M. has increased by 16% (27 days) from 168 to 195 days and the number of units sold has shown a decrease of about 26% The following chart shows the sliding 12 month figures:             Date DOM  Average   Median  # sold 1-Jan 168  $334,504.00  $290,530.00 285 1-Feb 171  $330,426.00  $290,000.00 279 1-Mar 176  $327,049.00  $288,250.00 278 1-Apr 177  $321,762.00  $275,000.00 274 1-May 184  $319,412.00  $270,000.00 273 1-Jun 184  $320,944.00  $275,000.00 268 1-Jul 183  $329,444.00  $285,050.00 250 1-Aug 192  $336,554.00  $290,265.00 23... 09/03/2008

Wooded beauty, babbling shoals, and covered picnic areas all work together to bring peace to your heart when you visit Harris Shoals Park.  Harris Shoals Park is located off Experiment Station Road, near downtown Watkinsville.  Other fun things to do in the park: Horshoe Pits Childrens Playground Baseball Field Walking Trail - dog friendly (leash laws apply) Play in the Shoals - dog friendly (leash laws apply)       Take a short drive down Georgia Highway 15, towards Greensboro and watch for the Elder Mill Covered Bridge signs on the left.  This bridge was constructed in 1897 and is one of the few remaining covered bridges that allows traffic to cross in Georgia that has not been reinforced with steel beams underneath.  The bridge, 100 feet long, originally covered Calls Creek and was m... 07/16/2008

Watkinsville, Georgia is becoming a shopping mecca!  Out the stretch of Highway 316, which runs along the south edge of Oconee County, Georgia, you'll find the big name shops like Kohls, WalMart, Kroger Grocery Store, Lowes & Home Depot, and more.  But hidden away in the heart of the downtown district are some really cool shops like:  Georgia Originals - featuring products made only in Georgia - how cool is that?  A fabulous place to find gifts for family and friends. Southern Belles and Beaus- premium children's clothes with custom embroidery available. Circa Antiques & Art- always has the most gorgeous glass Christmas ornaments and something special for your home or gift. Books Galore is my favorite place to get my reading fix!  I buy new books there and then get to trade them back in... 07/15/2008

Downtown Watkinsville is home to many diner's delights! Almost every special occasion my family has celebrated by dining out is spent at Gautreau's Cajun Cafe in Watkinsville, GA.  When they first opened they started out just up the road, then moved over to a location in Athens, GA for a few years and returned home to downtown - we've loyally followed them all over!  The best kept secret around is probably their "Blacked Filet Mignon", tender enough to cut with a fork and melt in your mouth delicious.  It's a hard decision to make though - the ettoufee is awesome and often David and I go home with bowls of it for the next day :)   Save some room for dessert a couple of doors down at "Sweet Retreat" Both of these fabulous eateries are located in Town Center on Main Street along with Mais... 07/10/2008