Letter to the Editor: Many thanks to Suess on the Loose supporters

  • Eatonton Messenger/File Photo
    Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

    Dear Editor,

    Putnam Reads wants to say a huge thank you to all the great people in our community for their support of our 12th annual Seuss on the Loose (SOL) Festival and Fun Run on March 7 at Putnam County Primary School.

    First, Putnam County Charter School System, most specifically Dr. Fanica Harris, Mrs. Holly Hardie, and the school staff.

    Thank you to our title sponsors: Fowler-Flemister Concrete, Smith Communications, Georgia Power, Backwood Graphics, and Robins Federal Credit Union; gold sponsors: Dr. Megan Miller, Walter & Rebecca Rocker, Parkside Main 8, McDonalds, Lake Oconee Ace Hardware, SunMark Community Bank, and Peach State Federal Credit Union; silver sponsors: Rising Star Mason Lodge #4, The Peoples Bank, The Insurance People, FitCo, Todd and Pamelia Swymer, Tina M. Gregory Agency, Walmart, and Lake Oconee Animal Hospital; bronze-plus sponsors: Eatonton First Methodist Church, Window Wizardz, Holloway’s Ace Hardware, and Tim Broyles Insurance & Financial Services; and bronze sponsors: Dr. Rita Daniel, Oconee Valley Health, Taylor’s Event Designs, Mothers Against Crime, Eatonton Service League, Central Georgia Technical College, The Meat Locker, Farmers & Merchants Bank, and Eatonton Kiwanis Club.

    The following gave their time and money to make SOL 2026 a most enjoyable success: Gatewood Anchor Club, Eatonton-Putnam Fire Department, Farmers & Merchants Bank, The Peoples Bank, Eatonton Chiropractic Center, Putnam County Headstart, Eatonton Police Department, Cub Scouts, Plaza Arts Center, Mothers Against Crime, Eatonton-Putnam County Library, Central Georgia Technical College, Georgia Writer’s Museum, PCHS Service Leadership Class, Eatonton Main Street, Butterflies & Blooms, Pilot Club, SunMark Community Bank, Eatonton Health and Rehabilitation, Harbor Angels of Harbor at Harmony Crossing, Eatonton Kiwanis Club, and Oconee Valley HealthCare.

    Thanks also to the art contest judges Michelle Harrington and Chris Sims, and art teachers Felicia Watkins at PCES, Glisa Turner at PCPS, and Kiernan Pinkerton at Gatewood. Thanks also to the Eatonton Service League for sponsoring the art contest and to Abby Boatfield and the Eatonton-Putnam County Library for displaying the art before the Seuss on the Loose event.

    Thanks also to those who donated items for raffle prizes, including Zaxby’s of Eatonton, Holloway’s Ace Hardware, Lake Oconee Ace Hardware, Deer Run Florist, Uncle Remus Museum, Uncle Remus Golf Course, Lake Country Books & Gifts, Lake Oconee Animal Hospital, The Plaza Arts Center, Carol Wetmiller, Domino’s, Whataburger, Oconee Springs Park, Tienda Tarimoro, Cooperative Extension Services, Heather and Ryan Aquino, and Michael Morris.

    Ingles made sure our Fun Run participants had water and bananas. Selina Mashburn at PCPS, Veronica Lawson at PCES, and Beverly Whitmore at Head Start distributed and collected the Fun Run forms at their schools, and Eatonton Police Department Chief Howell Cardwell provided a golf cart to lead runners around the course. Thanks also to the Cat in the Hat for leading the race!

    Thanks also to Lamar Advertising Company for the use of a billboard for two months. In addition to many listed above, thanks to others who helped publicize the event, including Parkside Main 8, Georgia Writers Museum, Sammy and Roddie Anne Blackwell, and Jackie Nunn of Putnam County 4-H and her 4-H students. Also, thanks to Smith Communications newspapers, Lakelife Magazine, The Breeze, Lake Oconee Life, Lake Sinclair Life, and the Chamber of Commerce for adding SOL to their community calendars.

    We look forward to working with you for Seuss on the Loose next year. In the meantime, you can register a child to receive books at imaginationlibrary.com until they enter kindergarten. Putnam Reads is affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. To make a donation and help local children continue to receive books, checks payable to Putnam Reads can be mailed to P. O. Box 4283, Eatonton, GA 31024, or donations can be made online at the Imagination Library website listed above.

    To designate this donation to our Imagination Library affiliate, select GA-Putnam. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/putnamreads or on Instagram at instagram.com/putnamreads.

    Sincerely, Cathy Mize, Chair; Mary Tiedeman, SOL Chair; Valerie Goerner, SOL Co-Chair; Gail Farmer, Communications Chair