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When Centerville’s Post Office Answered to Hattie 📬
Editorial illustration for the Hattie post-office story; not an archival photograph or a depiction of Etheridge’s store. Centerville, here’s a name for your next local-history rabbit hole: Hattie. That was the name of a post office operating inside a local store, and a newspaper notice more than 136 years old tells us whose store it was. 📬
On January 16, 1890, the Houston Home Journal reported that a new post office had been established at Centerville. Its name was Hattie, its location was M. F. Etheridge’s store, and Etheridge was the postmaster. His name does double duty in that little piece of postal history.
The reason for Hattie? According to the City of Centerville’s historical account, another Centerville post office already existed in Gwinnett County. The alternative name honored the daughter of state representative Mitchell F. Etheridge. Even a post office, it seems, could discover that its first choice of name was already taken.
Here’s where the paper trail keeps us honest. 🔎 The city’s online timeline places the postal-name story under 1900, but the surviving newspaper notice documents Hattie a decade earlier. We can say the office existed by January 1890; that notice doesn’t give us its exact opening or closing day.
The two names turn up together in a letter published April 21, 1892. The pupils who wrote it identified themselves as members of Centerville High School’s Excelsior Literary and Debating Society. That’s a lot of syllables before you’ve even started debating.
They described their school as a few rods from Hattie and the village of Centerville to the west, with homes, gin houses and blacksmith shops. One letter, both names—handy to remember when you’re searching the old papers.
And then there’s the front porch with theatrical ambitions. 🎭 A June 7, 1900, report used Hattie in its account of the local school’s end-of-term concert. The school’s front porch had been enlarged into a stage, with curtains in the national colors.
According to that June 1900 report, at least 200 parents and friends filled the seats, including visitors from Byron, Dunbar, Toy, Kathleen and Perry. The program ran three hours, with music, recitations, dialogues and other performances. Quite a workout for a front porch.
All of this belongs to the community’s history long before incorporation. Centerville received its charter on March 25, 1958, according to the city’s history.
So, if you’re tracing a Houston County family, school or church, keep Hattie beside Centerville on your search list. Georgia Historic Newspapers makes these old issues available online. Try both names: there’s more than one way to address this bit of Houston County history.
Sources
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Perry’s Sadie Heights Drainage Plan Takes Its Next Step 💧
Conceptual editorial illustration about Perry stormwater planning; not a photograph or plan of the Sadie Heights project. Room for the rain: that’s the idea behind Perry’s next planned drainage improvements for Sadie Heights. The city is seeking bids for work that would expand stormwater storage and improve nearby drainage channels. 💧
The date to circle is October 19, 2026, at 11 a.m., when sealed bids are due for the Flood Improvement Project Phase 2A. Addendum 3, dated October 13, moved the deadline to October 19. If you’ve been following along, give that calendar entry a refresh! 📅
Where the water gets more elbow room
Phase 2A calls for excavating and grading part of a regional stormwater pond and improving drainage channels between Stonegate Trail and Rocky Road. The project summary puts the work in Perry’s Stonebridge subdivision off Highway 341, between lot 18 on Stonegate Trail and lot 75 on Rocky Road.
The intended benefits are additional flood storage and better drainage for Sadie Heights and the surrounding area. More room to hold stormwater is the aim; the plans don’t promise an end to flooding.
One pond, two pieces of the puzzle
The remaining portion of the pond is Phase 2B, assigned separately to the developer of the future Avion Park subdivision. The plan anticipates both phases proceeding at the same time, with the city’s contractor and the developer’s contractor coordinating their work. Neighboring projects need to be good neighbors, too!
Next stop: the bid opening
The bid documents call for a public opening at 1211 Washington Street in Perry after the October 19, 11 a.m. deadline. From there, the milestones to watch are the bid outcome, a contract award and a construction schedule.
For now, this is the bidding chapter: the documents don’t establish an awarded contract, a project cost, work underway on either phase or actual start and calendar completion dates. For Sadie Heights neighbors, the next useful news is who will do the work and when.
Sources
- City of Perry: Bids & Proposals
- Bid 2027-04 base manual, PDF pages 4–5 and 205–206
- Addendum 1 and revised manual, PDF pages 1, 32–33 and 234–235
- Addendum 3: revised bid deadline, October 13, 2026, PDF page 1
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Jon Pardi’s Macon Date Gets a Remix: October 30 🎸
Original illustration of a country-music night in Macon; not a photograph of Jon Pardi, the concert, or Atrium Health Amphitheater. HoCo country fans, pencil in a little Pardi before Halloween! Jon Pardi’s show at Macon’s Atrium Health Amphitheater has moved from October 2 to Friday, October 30, 2026, at 7 p.m. The calendar gets a remix; your country-night plans get a new date. 🎸
Already holding tickets? They’re coming along for the ride. Original tickets remain valid for October 30, with no action required to keep them. One less thing on the pre-concert checklist! 🎟️
The refund deadline has passed ⏰
The venue’s listed refund deadline was October 16 at 11:59 p.m. Its notice doesn’t specify a time zone and says refunds are not available after that deadline. For refund inquiries, contact your original point of purchase.
Phone charged, lawn chair at home 📱
For the October 30 outing, tickets are mobile-only, and lawn chairs aren’t allowed for this event. Your phone makes the packing list; the folding chair sits this one out.
Check the official event page for updates before heading to Macon. Then get ready for a little Friday-night Pardi! 🤠
Sources
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Perry’s Patriotic Day Put Military Families on the Guest List 🎟️
Original illustration for HCI’s guide to Patriotic Day at the Georgia National Fair in Perry; not a photograph of the fairgrounds. Editor’s note: This guide covers the October 12, 2026, Patriotic Day offer and the separate October 14 WOW Wednesday offer. Both dates have passed.
A fair-sized thank-you, right at the gate! The Georgia National Fair in Perry listed free gate admission for active, veteran, reserve and retired military members with ID, plus their immediate families, for Patriotic Day on Monday, October 12, 2026. Red, white and blue came with a welcome at the entrance. 🇺🇸
The offer was available at the gate for that day only. On the published schedule, gates opened at 10 a.m., the ride midway opened at noon, and Darryl Worley was set to take the Georgia National Stage at 7:30 p.m. Three times worth keeping straight before the family started asking, “When do the rides open?” 🎡
The gate deal gave the admission budget a breather, but rides cost extra. Monday’s unlimited-ride armband was listed at $30 before fees: $32 cash or $33.28 by credit card. Armbands were sold on-site, with ride restrictions and exclusions. A quick look at the fine print belonged on the midway checklist. 🎟️
WOW Wednesday had its own turn on the calendar: the separate October 14 offer listed $10 gate admission for ages 11 and up, with children 10 and under admitted free. Two different days, two different gate deals. 📅
For another Fair outing, check the official pricing and event pages below for the offer that matches your date. The best gate plan starts before you get to the gate! 👪
Sources: Georgia National Fair hours and pricing; ride armbands; Darryl Worley concert.
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Perry’s Fair Wednesday Deal Is at the Gate—Don’t Click Past It!
Editorial illustration for Perry’s WOW Wednesday Fair guide; not a photograph of the Fairgrounds. HoCo, your Wednesday Fair plan has a useful little plot twist: the admission deal isn’t hiding in an online checkout. You get it at the gate! 🎟️
On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, the Georgia National Fair in Perry lists admission at $10 for ages 11 and older, with children 10 and younger getting in free. The Fair calls it WOW Wednesday, and discounted admission is available only at the gate! 📅
That’s entry, not a magic pass for everything your family spots inside. Ride armbands cost extra, and they don’t cover the Euroslide, Georgia Wheel, Agri-Lift or non-mechanical rides. Check the exclusions before you buy! 🎡
The Fairgrounds address is 401 Larry Walker Parkway in Perry. Public parking is free at the North, East and West gates; the South Gate isn’t available for general-public parking or entry. Pick one of the public gates before the car fills with “are we there yet?”! 🅿️
Give your bag a quick check, too! The Fair requires clear bags no bigger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches. Exceptions include diaper bags, bags holding carry-in items for infants or medical reasons, and wallet-sized or smaller bags. All bags can be inspected. Your everyday tote may need the night off. 🎒
If you’re arriving after 5 p.m., visitors 17 and younger must enter with a legal guardian. A cheaper ticket doesn’t change that rule! 👪
The published gate hours are 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Those are gate hours, so don’t read them as a promise about when every ride runs. A little clock-checking belongs in the Fair plan, too! 🕙
Before you head out, check the Fair’s official pricing and policies for changes. Then keep the two budgets straight: getting through the gate and whatever you choose once you’re inside. Wednesday’s bargain starts at the entrance! 💵
Sources
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Warner Robins’ Burger Crown Goes to PROPS! 🍔
Editorial illustration for Warner Robins Burger Week; not a photograph of PROPS’ Cherry Bomber. All hail the Cherry Bomber! PROPS Steak & Seafood has taken the 2026 Warner Robins Burger Week title. That’s one local burger with some bragging rights, y’all. 👑
The Robins Regional Chamber shared the results, naming Island Bakery & Catering first runner-up and Tap and Pour second runner-up. Three local businesses on the burger podium! 🥈
Burger Week ran September 18–27, with the City of Warner Robins and Visit Warner Robins hosting ten days of specialty creations from locally owned restaurants. Diners picked the champion through online voting. Dinner with a ballot attached? We’re listening! 🗳️
Featured burgers were $10, with sides and drinks separate. The format gave neighbors a reason to try something outside the everyday menu. A little dinner-list homework, with a burger at the end! 💵
Tap and Pour’s Sorry Miss Wilson Smash added another local twist: glazed doughnuts from Wilson’s Bakery. Houston Home Journal’s September 28 report also cited the restaurant’s account of serving more than 1,100 Burger Week burgers. Doughnuts crossing over into burger territory? HoCo, you do keep things interesting! 🍩
The special promotion has ended, so don’t count on the Burger Week burger or its $10 price still being available. The restaurants are still there to explore, though. We’ll happily keep the local dinner possibilities on the list! 📣
PROPS is at 1289 South Houston Lake Road. Check restaurants’ regular menus for current offerings and prices before heading out. The votes are in; your next dinner decision is still yours! 📍
Sources: Robins Regional Chamber; City of Warner Robins / Visit Warner Robins; City of Warner Robins / Visit Warner Robins; PROPS Steak & Seafood; Houston Home Journal
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Warner Robins’ Blackbird Days: Big Speed, Bigger Stories! 🛩️
The Museum of Aviation’s SR-71A, photographed April 18, 2013. Archival photograph, not a view of the 2026 event. Photo: Alan Wilson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. No editorial edits; WordPress creates resized versions, and story-card thumbnails may be cropped to fit. How do you make a 2,193-mph Blackbird even more interesting? Add the folks who flew it and kept it running! Warner Robins’ Museum of Aviation is bringing visitors face-to-face with SR-71 veterans for Blackbird Days. 🤩
The three-day program began Thursday, September 24, and continues through Saturday, September 26. Aviation veterans, families, students and enthusiasts are gathering around the aircraft’s history and technology. That’s a pretty good reason to put the museum on your radar! 🗓️
41NBC’s Thursday reporting included SR-71 pilot Lt. Col. Don Watkins and crew chief Master Sgt. David Burns sharing their experiences. The airplane has the speed record; these folks have the stories! 🎙️
The museum’s schedule includes expert panels and smaller conversations about operating and maintaining the Blackbird. Friday lists aircraft tours and cockpit viewings. A chance to peek where the pilots sat? Yes, please! 👀
Saturday’s Family Aviation Day is scheduled to include National STEM Academy activities, a panel discussion, poster signing, WWII reenactors and opportunities to explore aircraft. Got a how-does-that-work kid in the house? There’s plenty on the schedule to feed that curiosity! 🧪
And the local aircraft has quite the résumé: SR-71A serial number 61-7958 recorded 2,193.167 miles per hour over a measured course in July 1976. That’s a speedometer requiring considerably more ambition than the one in your driveway! ⚡
It was flown to Robins for display February 23, 1990. Now Houston County families can pair a close look at the aircraft with veteran accounts of the engineering and human effort behind it. Come for the fast airplane, stay for the people who made it possible! 🛠️
Sources: Museum of Aviation; 41NBC / WMGT; Museum of Aviation
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Perry’s Amy Fouse Takes Local Know-How Statewide! 🤝
Editorial illustration for Perry’s statewide children and youth advisory council appointment. Perry’s getting a seat at the table in Georgia’s conversation about helping kids thrive! Council Member Amy Fouse has been appointed to the Georgia Municipal Association’s Children and Youth Advisory Council for 2026–2027. 🪑
The City of Perry announced the appointment September 23. Fouse represents District 1, Post 1 on City Council, and the city highlighted her experience as a public educator. She’s bringing both the council-chamber and classroom sides of the conversation! 🏫
GMA’s advisory council brings city officials together to swap ideas and connect with organizations serving young people. Its work helps officials understand the issues children face and develop programs supporting their well-being. A little cross-town note-swapping can go a long way! 📝
For Perry, it’s an opportunity to share local experience and learn from other Georgia communities. No city has to keep every good idea to itself! 🌱
One practical distinction: this appointment doesn’t, by itself, announce a new Perry program or funding award. It puts a local representative in the conversation; specific next steps still need their own announcements.
Want to follow along, Insiders? Keep an eye on Perry’s city announcements and GMA’s Children and Youth Advisory Council. There’s a Perry voice at that table now, and we’re interested in what comes next for our youngest neighbors! 👀
Sources: City of Perry; Georgia Municipal Association; City of Perry
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Warner Robins’ Code Crew Gives Rescue Support a Lift! 💻
Editorial illustration of Warner Robins software work supporting rescue helicopters. Some of the work behind a rescue helicopter happens with a keyboard instead of a flight stick. At Robins Air Force Base, local engineers have reached another milestone supporting the HH-60W combat rescue helicopter. Houston County’s got a code crew worth knowing. 🚁
On August 25, the 580th Software Engineering Squadron declared Initial Depot Capability for the helicopter’s Maintenance Data Interface. That means the Air Force can maintain the software in-house and has greater control over updates. A big job, brought home to Robins! 🛠️
The HH-60W’s primary mission is combat search and rescue: recovering downed aircrew and other isolated personnel from hostile environments during war, by day or night. That’s the purpose behind all this work. 🧭
The interface turns engine temperatures, airframe stresses and other aircraft data into diagnostic instructions for ground crews. It contains more than 22,000 lines of code. That’s a whole lot more than a quick spell-check! 🧰
The team recorded a 99.74 percent pass rate in its Formal Qualification Test, and manufacturer verification confirmed it could build the code to industry standards. Put that one on the Robins scoreboard! ✅
The Air Force says in-house support lets engineers send fixes directly to flight-line mechanics, aiming to shorten repair delays. It’s a potential benefit; there isn’t a measured time-saving figure to report.
This was the squadron’s second major software transition for the helicopter since March, following its Flight Management System work. A Warner Robins achievement with a mission far beyond HoCo. Hats off to the folks behind the keyboards!
Sources: U.S. Air Force / DVIDS; U.S. Air Force; U.S. Air Force
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HoCo’s Next Leaders Are Getting a Head Start! 🎓
Editorial illustration for Youth Leadership Robins Region. Twenty-three students, six schools, and an assignment that reaches beyond the classroom: getting to know the community they could help lead one day! HoCo, meet the Youth Leadership Robins Region Class of 2027. 🎒
The Robins Regional Chamber announced the class August 28. The roster includes five students each from Houston County, Northside, Veterans and Warner Robins high schools, plus two from The Westfield School and one from Veritas Classical Schools.
Over the coming year, the Chamber plans to introduce the students to local employers and civic leaders. Think of it as a look under Middle Georgia’s hood: who keeps things running, what needs work, and where these students could fit in! 🧭
The program’s for high school juniors selected for their character, interest in the community and leadership potential. It’s a chance to practice leadership beyond school, with more to explore than what’s on the next test. 📝
Youth Leadership is part of the Chamber’s broader effort to grow civic and business leadership, alongside its adult Leadership Robins Region program. Different classrooms, same big idea: learn about the place you call home and help shape what comes next! 🤝
SunMark Community Bank is the youth class’s presenting sponsor. Local students, local leadership, and a bank helping make the connection. 🏦
Got a future participant in your house? Don’t wait until junior year to start asking: the Chamber points students to their school counselor early in the spring of sophomore year. There’s your first stop, y’all!
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Houston County Insider is a division of Heart City Marketing in Warner Robins, Georgia.