The Buzz of Northwest Georgia: (Click here)
-Silver Creek's Seven Hills Trading Co. wine importers a hit with wine lovers, thanks in part to Berry student's business plan.
-Beer, wine festivals add a little kick (and cash) to arts groups this fall.
-Cartersville brewery to craft A-B's new Bud Light Golden Wheat.
-Big-time arts, big name acts to headline 34th Rose Lawn in Cartersville.
-Comings, goings, returns: Latest updates from the restaurant world.
-Knights' annual barbecue raises $13,000 to help local groups.
-mREVELANCE, Hometown offer hands-on 'Social Media Lab' in October.
-Peaks & Valleys: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia.
Your latest forecast:
-Monday: High of 84, low of 71. Rain chance: 60% to 70%.
-Tuesday: High of 83, low of 70. Rain chance: 50% to 60%.
-Your extended forecast> Weather
-Local radar> Radar
Calhoun atop state AA poll this week; Pepperell in sixth place
A huge 38-10 win over Cartersville and Buford's upset at the hands of Lovett have catapulted the Calhoun Yellow Jackets into the top spot of this week's AA Top 10 poll . Buford drops to fourth while Pepperell High (3-0) stays at sixth.
Click High School Football Report
-What's ahead this week in downtown Rome (beer festival for one).
Dining & Drink:
-Latest public health restaurant inspection scores> Dining
-North Georgia wineries; Winter Wine Highway Weekend set> Wine
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable:
-Tech, Georgia have got a ways to go; Michigan may be back; FSU in deep trouble>Click
John McClellan's high school picks on The Football Report: Get John's picks for this Friday first thing Tuesday morning> Click
Rome Braves/baseball updates> Sports:
-Upcoming events at State Mutual Stadium.
-Greenville vs. Lakewood for SAL crown this year.
-Gwinnett Braves out of International League Playoffs
-Mills Fitzner's pictures from the 2009 season> Gallery
Also today:
-Beer, wine festivals add a little kick (and cash) to arts groups this fall.
-Cartersville brewery to craft A-B's new Bud Light Golden Wheat.
-Big-time arts, big name acts to headline 34th Rose Lawn in Cartersville.
-Comings, goings, returns: Latest updates from the restaurant world.
-Knights' annual barbecue raises $13,000 to help local groups.
-mREVELANCE, Hometown offer hands-on 'Social Media Lab' in October.
-Peaks & Valleys: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia.
Beer, wine events add a little kick to local arts' fund-raisers
When money gets scarce, the local arts community gets creative--and maybe a bit thirsty, too. Two events celebrating finer tastes are on the way:
-Beer, food sampler: Consider this RACA event a prelude to Saturday's festival. "A Tasting of Downtown" is set for Thursday featuring 10 beer and 10 food samples for $10. Patrons make their way to different downtown venues. Click Details
-Rome Fine Wine Festival is Nov. 1: Another liquid fund-raiser is the Fifth Annual Rome Fine Wine Festival benefitting the Rome Symphony Orchestra. The event is from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Forrest Place Ballroom, 436 Broad St. Additional details are pending; tickets usually are in the $75-per-person range> Wine
Next from Cartersville's brew crew: Golden Wheat
Arts, performers headline 34th Rose Lawn
The 34th Annual Arts Festival at Rose Lawn is this Saturday and Sunday in Cartersville, and one of the headliners with a national following is Cartersville's Anna Harwood (right). She's already won Female Vocalist of the Year and Most Promising Female Entertainer of the Year. Harwood will perform a 60-minute show at Rose Lawn beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The festival itself is steeped with numerous arts and crafts displays and exhibits. Click Rose Lawn
Comings & goings & returns . . . :
-The most chatter this week from the restaurant world: The so-called "Green Burger" planned in the former Krystal on Broad. The site has been home to four or five concepts in recent years, the most recent being Mexican.
-Mrs. Winners ends run on Shorter: There's a closed sign on the Shorter Avenue restaurant as yet another restaurant falters on the popular highway. Wing Lab, Pizza Hut, a couple of concepts in the former Shoney's (now Winslette Pharmacy) have all closed in recent years.
-Brunch back at Harvest Moon: A welcome sign downtown Sunday: People carrying signs at street corners announcing brunch service was back at Harvest Moon. It was a soft opening, or return, with regular service scheduled from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sundays. Included: An expanded southern buffet and a small al a carte menu. Click Harvest Moon.
Silver Creek's Seven Hills Trading Co. booming thanks to wine imports from Chile including break-out 'Sassy Bitch'
By Natalie Simms
While the economy seems to be hurting a lot of businesses, one local entrepreneur has created a successful formula that has his business booming. David Rush has found that importing quality wine and selling it at a reasonable price equals big profits for his Seven Hills Trading Co.
"We really believe in delivering quality products at a good price point," says Rush, president and owner of Seven Hills Trading Co. "If you can keep your product under $10 and be a good wine, you will do well."
"Doing well" is exactly what his company is doing. Founded four years ago, Seven Hills -- based in Silver Creek -- imports wine from Chile.
"Several years ago, I went to a wedding in Chile and the wine there was amazing," Rush says. "It was an idea between me and my friend, Rob Fricks, to bring this wine here (to the United States) so we started searching for a vineyard with both good whites and reds (wines)…it was hard to find one with both."
Coincidently, Fricks owns Signature Wholesale Distributors, a wine distribution company in Perry as well as the private-label wine "Sassy Bitch," which is one of the three "brands" of wine Seven Hills Trading imports.
"We got our first shipment in April 2008 and we sold 40,000 bottles of wine last year," he says. "And this year, we are on track to sell 60,000 to 80,000 bottles."
The way the business works:
-Rush imports the wines in a container that holds 10,800 bottles.
-The wine is then distributed to stores and restaurants throughout the state by one of three distributors: Signature Wholesales, Savannah Wholesales and Compass Wine Group in Marietta.
-The wine is not only sold in Georgia but is quickly growing across the United States.
"We also work with distributors in Chicago and Tampa but next month, we will also be importing shipments to five new states including Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana, Texas and South Carolina," Rush says.
Seven Hills Trading also will be adding a new brand of wine from Portugal later this year.
"It is really amazing how it has taken off," Rush says. "I can easily see us selling 200,000 bottles next year…we're shooting for 1 million on our seven-year plan."
That plan is a business plan developed by a former Berry College student, JP Seles. It is the same guide the company follows to this day, Rush says.
"JP is an employee of Signature Wholesales and he really helps us a lot in our translation with the folks in Chile," Rush says. "But while he was at Berry, he was in the entrepreneur program and had to do a project, so he developed our business plan."
Part of that plan includes showing off their wines at a number of festivals. Seven Hills Trading showed at the Miami Wine Festival in February and, two weeks ago, at the 13th Annual Vineyard Fest at Chateau Elan off Interstate 85.
Rush says his wines are popular with women and those looking for a quality wine at a low price.
"There is a lot of super low price stuff out there but it isn't good," he says. "Most of our wines are $10 and under, and it is a quality product."
Locally, you can purchase any of the brands of wine imported by Seven Hills Trading Co. at either The Depot on Second Avenue or Warehouse Beverage Center, 2558 Shorter Ave.
For more information, visit www.sevenhillstrading.com.
Credits: First two photos from Seven Hills Trading Co.'s Web site; bottles from Sassy Bitch Facebook group, click)
Knights' Labor Day barbecue raises $13,000 to help local groups
The annual Labor Day barbecue produced by the Knights of Columbus of St. Mary's Catholic Church earned close to $13,000. Those funds and others will go toward local projects supported by the Knights as well as toward other appeals for aid brought before the Catholic fraternal group.
The 2009 edition of the barbecue, held Sept. 7 at the Rome Civic Center, again saw huge crowds of both dine-in and carry-out customers. In addition to pork and beef, diners also enjoyed ribs, chicken, Brunswick stew and special baked goods commemorating the city of Rome's 175th Anniversary.
Dozens of Knights were joined by their families, friends and other members of the St. Mary's parish in preparing for the annual feast that has been a part of Rome's Labor Day tradition for more than four decades.
"On behalf of the Knights, their families, our sponsors and the entire St. Mary's Church community, we thank our friends and neighbors for your support to help make our 42nd annual barbecue a success," says Jim Powell, co-chairman of the event. "We are all proud to carry on the tradition our brother Knights started many years ago, serving some pretty good barbecue but more importantly, celebrating the important values of faith, family and service to others."
In addition to proceeds raised by the selling of meals and bulk food sales, the Knights also saw a robust boost in event sponsorships from the community. The spike was especially noted given the state of the economy.
Members of the Knights' planning committee held a post-barbecue meeting on Sept. 11 to review this year's event and to get started on the 2010 fund-raiser, set for Sept. 6 at the Civic Center. Those interested in sponsorship for 2010 are asked to contact Powell at 706-346-2532.
Additional information about the 2009 and 2010 barbecues--as well as the Knights -- is available at www.romekofc.com.
Social Media Lab set for October from mRELEVANCE, Hometown:
For two hours each week, you'll learn the basics and insider tips about four social media tools: Twitter, Linked In, Facebook and blogging. Attendees are required to bring their own wireless-ready lap tops to the sessions as this is a hands-on venture. You'll leave each morning with your own social media accounts up and running.
The Social Media Lab helps large and small business owners learn how to effectively use social media to reach existing customers and to build relationships with new ones. All sessions are from 9 to 11 a.m., with doors opening at 8:30 a.m.
Early registration for the four-part lab is $129 and increases to $169 by Oct. 1. Individual sessions are available at $59 each. Registration starts Tuesday evening online. For more and to register, please click: Social Media Lab
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to RIFF VI: Let's see if we've got enough drama here--the recession drains critically needed up-front money. The recession cripples independent film producers as a whole. So what happens? Maestro Harry Musselwhite and a dedicated crew again pull off a sequel without equal in the form of the Sixth Annual Rome International Film Festival. As we said on last week's Druck Report on WRGA 1470 AM: This community goes all out for a three-hour football championship. Why not promote and support an event that draws probably as many out-of-town guests with films from 20-plus countries?
Valley to the schedulers: What is it about Sept. 19? You have the Roman Rumble, the second beer festival, the memory walk, Rose Lawn in Cartersville, the Berry bike ride, Shorter's star-spangled salute, a star party and Shorter football at 1:30 p.m. It is wonderful to have so many options, for sure. But isn't there a way to sit down and spread the wealth just a bit?
Peak to Tellus: Northwest Georgia's Science Museum:
In addition to becoming a Smithsonian Affiliate, the region's newest attraction and learning center is adding the Solar Decathlon House, designed and built by students from Georgia Tech. A series of special previews are planned as well as a "Solarbration" on Oct. 10. Just nine months old, Tellus continues to defy expectations> Tellus
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