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"Follow the Son" Photo By: April Ruston Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

"The first spraying" Photo By: Kayla Kelley Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

"Just Goofing Off" Photo By: Lindsey Head Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

"Expansive Bliss" Photo By: Leslie Hohmann Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

Fifteen rural Georgia hospitals received 100 percent Deltapine® cotton scrubs at no cost for their employees, including Brooks County Hospital, Burke Medical Center, Crisp Regional Medical Center, Colquitt Regional Medical Center, East Georgia Regional Medical Center, Emanuel Medical Center, Irwin County Hospital, Jeff Davis Hospital, Jenkins County Medical, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early, Memorial Hospital and Manor, Mitchell County Hospital, SGMC Berrien Campus, Southwell Medical, and Taylor Regional Hospital. Delivery Day means The Cotton Project, Field to Closet’s vision of delivering 100 percent Deltapine® cotton medical scrubs, crafted with cotton grown in Georgia and created in an end-to-end US supply chain, to rural hospitals is now reality. Even better, the scrubs are treated with PROTX2®AV, a patent-pending medical grade, anti-viral, antibacterial, anti-odor and metal free technology scientifically proven to destroy SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19), demonstrating a 99.9% reduction in active viral loads and completely disabling the virus. “To see the scrubs all the way through the process, from cotton grower to medical professional is extremely exciting,” said Steve Hawkins, president of America Knits. “Our team, as well as Field to Closet, the cotton growers, and our project partners, including Deltapine® seed, Georgia’s Rural Center, HomeTown Health, Nutrien Ag Solutions®, and Helena® Agri-Enterprises worked together for well over a year to bring the concept to market. Now, the scrubs are available for pre-order nationwide this fall for spring 2022 delivery.” The Cotton Project utilizes Georgia-grown cotton from Deltapine seed to re-shore American manufacturing by revitalizing an end-to-end US supply chain. For these scrubs, the cotton was grown in Georgia and the yarn was made in Raybun Gap, Georgia; the material was made in North Carolina, and the scrubs were cut and sewn by America Knits in Swain sboro, Georgia, creating a US supply chain at each stop along the way. “Importantly, the initiative establishes a Farmer GiveBack program to address a fundamental issue in the garment industry, which typically sees the brand or end seller with the most significant profit,” said Ed Jernigan, founder and CEO of Field to Closet. “The GiveBack program recognizes the rebirth of a robust cotton garment industry isn't possible without the grower; therefore, this initiative is designed to ensure the grower is included financially by sharing in the profit of the goods sold.” The initiative's partnerships demonstrate creating a 100 percent US supply chain and crafting products from U.S. grown Deltapine cotton is an idea rapidly gaining momentum. The domino effect, resulting in higher cotton need and demand, fair compensation for farmer's sustainability efforts, and a positive light on an all US, end-to-end supply chain, will have positive ripple effects across many industries and communities. The overarching vision is for this initiative to serve as an inspiring example of the possibility and profitability for re-shoring American manufacturing and create a long-lasting impact on rural communities. For more information about this project or to order the scrubs in bulk this fall for spring 2022 delivery, go to Rhino Medical Supply: https://www.rhinomedicalsupply.com/. Learn more about this initiative’s strategic partners:: America Knits Deltapine® seed Field to Closet Georgia’s Rural Center Hometown Health Intelligent Fabric Technologies Media Kit: https://www.americaknits.com/media-kit Press Release Videos Photos Reference material Learn more about Protx2AV: https://www.iftna.com/protx2av-field-to-closet PROTX2®AV is a patent pending medical grade, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-odor and metal-free technology applied to scrubs. Delivery Video Link: https://vimeo.com/birdseyeproductions/review/590302403/e40f20f305

"Weathered" Photo By: Lauren Singleton Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

"The Last Blush of Summer" Photo By: Savannah Frich Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

"Soaking It All In" Photo By: Lindsey Head Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

By Mary Catherine Gaston Interstate 75 will carry you right through the heart of Georgia and some of the prettiest parts of the state. One beautiful county I-75 traverses is Turner County, home to the little town of Ashburn. If traveling that long stretch of highway ever wears you out, Ashburn is a lovely place to take a break. Founded in 1888 as Marion, the city now known as Ashburn is home to about 3,700 residents as well as an annual Fire Ant Festival that takes place every March. Featuring art and craft vendors, a giant fire ant maze, fireworks and more, the festival celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, though it did not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Look for the fire ant fun to return the fourth weekend of March 2022. You don’t have to wait for the annual festival to enjoy all that Ashburn has to offer, of course. Carroll’s Sausage, just off exit 82, is a great place to start your tour. Though the World's Largest Peanut monument was destroyed by Hurricane Michael in 2018, Carroll’s is still hard to miss, with its enormous sign and billboards for miles both north and south on 75. In addition to a huge variety of sausage, Carroll’s sells Georgia-made jams, jellies, candies, sauces, spice mixes and more and is one of three Georgia Grown Trail 41 stops in Turner County. A new addition to Carroll’s offerings (and a great spot to grab some Southern cooking) is Rudy T’s Smokehouse and Grill. Located in one end of the Carroll’s complex, Rudy T’s has quickly become a local favorite, featuring steaks, ribs, burgers, brisket, barbecue pork and chicken with all your favorite Southern sides. Rudy T’s serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday and lunch only on Sunday. Don’t let your time in Ashburn end at the exit. Instead, drive back out to Georgia Highway 112 and take a left to visit picturesque downtown. Established on the Interstate’s predecessor, U.S. Highway 41, downtown Ashburn boasts three separate National Register historic districts as well as three additional stand-alone structures that are National Register listed. Take a step back in time as you enjoy a stroll through downtown or ride through the Shingler Heights Historic District just north of downtown on Main Street. Park the car while you’re downtown and stretch your legs as you browse the booths at The French Market, a consignment boutique. Folks from the area also know this as a fantastic place to find formal dresses for proms or pageants. Across Washington Avenue from The French Market, choose from Brown’s Seafood restaurant or Keith-A-Que barbecue if it’s close to meal time. Both are recommended by locals, as is the bakery inside Gardenia’s Marketplace just around the corner on North Gordon Street. Browse clothing, jewelry, home décor and more, but don’t leave Gardenia’s without trying their baked goods and coffee! And don't leave downtown without stepping into ToCocha Designs on Main to check out their selection of ladies' clothing, jewelry, designer handbags, perfumes and more. If you have a little more time to wander off the beaten path, you must make your way to Calhoun Produce. Located about 10 miles northeast of downtown, Calhoun Produce is a family-owned and operated agricultural experience. From strawberry picking in the spring to a corn maize in the fall and year-round activities like a honeybee house where you can watch live honeybees making their famously sweet treat, there is always a multitude of activities to keep an entire family busy. Stop in at the farm store to find out all there is to do, enjoy a delicious lunch or strawberry ice cream and pick up goodies for the road. But bring a cooler, because you will not want to pass up the Calhoun family’s fresh or frozen peas and other produce. On the other hand, if you happen to be heading south on 75, enjoy Ashburn but be sure not to miss Bell’s Daylily Garden. Only a mile and a half off the Interstate, the garden features a picnic pavilion, but is open by appointment only. During peak bloom times, the Bell’s garden is quite breath-taking, and in fall an event known as the Daylily Spectacular draws daylily enthusiasts from far and wide to bid on and buy the more than 900 daylily varieties the Bells personally grow on their property. Next time you’re headed north or south on 75, take the time to travel off the beaten path and discover these and more Turner County treasures. Learn more by visiting the links in this post or the Ashburn-Turner County Chamber's Facebook page. We’d love to feature your hometown or rural community on our blog and social media! Email mcgaston@ruralga.org or leave a comment on our Facebook or Instagram and tell us where to go and what to see in your neck of the woods!

"Momma and Baby Racoons Resting" Photo By: Mandy Laforce Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

"Good Ole South GA Sunset" Photo By: Luke Crosson Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!

"Every Drop Counts" Photo By: Lindsey Head Submit your favorite rural Georgia shots with us on Facebook, and yours just might end up featured here as our photo of the week!