Plan Early for Dahlonega’s 4th of July Celebration
News June 24, 2016
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — If you live in Georgia and haven’t celebrated the 4th of July in Dahlonega, you owe it to yourself to do so this year. But you may want to make plans. This little town is bursting at the seams with visitors on Independence Day.
From the 5th Annual Firecracker 5K/10K run through Historic Dahlonega in the morning all the way through one of the most spectacular fireworks displays in Georgia, the day truly has something for everyone. In fact, by the time you head home you will not only be celebrating Independence Day, but the fact that you live in beautiful north Georgia.
Throughout the day, there will be live musical performances on the Chestatee Ford Stage at the Visitors Center Plaza. Enjoy the music as you stroll through the All American Market where you will find dazzling displays of traditional crafts handmade by local artisans.
The young at heart will surely enjoy the Adventure Zone where you can take a ride on the Ace Railroad Electric Trackless Train, get cooled off on the 13-foot water slide or test your skills on the Home Run Derby Game or the Mini All-Star Basketball Challenge.
Dahlonega is steeped in military history and tradition so there will be a Patriotic Ceremony at 10 a.m. featuring inspiring musical performances by the North Georgia Men’s Quartet, a Presentation of Colors and a speech from a keynote speaker.
If you are someone who appreciates the beauty of classic cars, be sure to visit the Gold City Classic Car Show where more than 100 of the finest classic cars in Georgia will be on display at the Lumpkin County Library parking lot on East Main Street.
No 4th of July celebration is complete without a patriotic parade and Dahlonega’s parade, which starts at 5 p.m. is always a crowd pleaser. It starts at Memorial Drive and circles through the historic town square.
It ends just in time for you to grab a bite to eat at one of the many town’s fine restaurants. But don’t take too long. You’ll want to leave enough time to find a spot on the University of North Georgia drill field to witness a spectacular fireworks display to end the evening.
UNG Breaks Ground on $33 Million Convocation Center
News June 4, 2016
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — The University of North Georgia (UNG) broke ground on a long-awaited $33 million convocation center at the Dahlonega Campus Friday. When it opens in 2018, the 103,000-square-foot facility will have a seating capacity of up to 3,600, more than three times that of Memorial Hall which it will replace.
“We are really excited about the new convocation center for UNG, as it will be a transformational facility for UNG,” Mac McConnell, UNG’s senior vice president for business and finance, said.
Memorial Hall was constructed in 1960 with a fixed-seating capacity of 1,049. Enrollment at then-North Georgia College was only 794 students. Today, UNG serves a growing enrollment of more than 17,000 students across five campuses and is one of the state’s largest public universities. Enrollment on the Dahlonega Campus alone has increased to more than 7,000 students.
The convocation center will be located just off Morrison Moore Parkway and will serve multiple uses, including academic courses, physical training activities, and university events such as commencement ceremonies, athletic events and meetings.
The 38,600-square-foot concourse level, where the facility entry will be located, surrounds and overlooks the event area, providing views of the activity taking place below. The concourse level also will include several of the facility’s classrooms and multipurpose areas.
From the concourse level, guests to the facility go down into the nearly 57,000-square-foot event level of the convocation center, which will include both fixed and collapsible seating in the main event area and several classrooms, labs and dressing rooms.
A third, lower level of the facility includes a little less than 7,000 square feet of faculty offices and storage space. On the exterior, plans include both entry and student plazas and landscaping and walkways to connect the facility to the existing UNG Alumni House, located nearby, and parking areas.
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved plans for the Convocation Center in 2014, and, with leadership from north Georgia legislators, including Sen. Steve Gooch and Rep. Kevin Tanner, UNG received funding support through the state legislature of $3.5 million for planning and design funds in 2015 and $29.3 million in construction funding this year. The facility is expected to open by 2018.
Additional private funding also is being sought for the new facility. Jeffrey Tarnowski, UNG’s vice president for advancement, said $2.5 million is needed for the athletics areas of the convocation center.
“While we are thrilled and honored to have this incredible facility coming to our campus, we also know that private and corporate support is going to be imperative if we are going to have full use of it for our athletic teams,” Tarnowski said. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to raise $2.5 million through the help of UNG’s dedicated alumni and supporters, whose love, pride and passion for this institution are second to none.”
In addition to supporting the needs of typical universities, this new facility is critical to UNG’s role as one of only six Senior Military Colleges in the United States. UNG’s nearly 800-member Corps of Cadets and more than 150 active students in the Georgia Army National Guard detachment on UNG’s Dahlonega Campus need expanded military training and assembly space.
Additionally, Memorial Hall will be renovated to provide enhanced classroom capability, more restrooms and an elevator.
Nighthawks Best Lander, 5-4
UNG Baseball April 3, 2016
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — Senior Sam Tidaback’s three singles sparked an 11-hit outburst and freshman lefty Steven Bower (4-2) scattered five hits to pick up the win as the University of North Georgia knocked off 20th-ranked Lander 5-4 Saturday at Bob Stein Stadium.
The win evened the three-game Peach Belt Conference series with the Bearcats (28-9, 16-7) heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. finale.
North Georgia (18-14, 9-11) opened the scoring in the third inning when Connor Hoover legged out a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line. Tidaback followed with a single to left. Both runners advanced on Trevor Sams ground out before Steven Tomlinson drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly to right. Designated hitter Joshua Profit then singled to right to make it 2-0.
Lander’s Zach Daly tied the game in the fifth inning when he belted the first of his two homeruns, scoring Matt White who had drawn a base on balls. The Nighthawks added three more runs in their half of the fifth on RBI singles by Tidaback and Sams and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Tomita.
But the Bearcats refused to go quietly. Daly added his second homer off relief pitcher Logan Burt in the seventh and Alex Conaway’s RBI single cut the lead to 5-4.
Relief pitcher Zach Verner came on in the ninth inning to retire the sides in order and record his first save for the Nighthawks.
Sams and Profit each had two hits and an RBI for North Georgia.
UNG Delivers Make-A-Wish Day to Emmalee Watkins
News, UNG Baseball April 1, 2016
Wish Granted!! UNG Delivers Make-A-Wish Day built by the Nighthawk Nation
DAHLONEGA | In front of a record crowd of 837 at the University of North Georgia’s Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium and a national audience on ESPN3, 13-year-old Emmalee Watkins of Acworth, Georgia, learned she is one week away from having her wish granted.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation and UNG collaborated to hold a special reveal event in between games of a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader. Watkins signed a one-day contract to help lead the Nighthawks to victory over Georgia College on March 29. She was listed on the team roster in the leadoff spot, and watched from the UNG dugout, surrounded by her new teammates.
“We’re really excited to have Emmalee in the leadoff spot for us; she epitomizes what a leadoff hitter does – she’s very competitive, she battles, and I think she’s going to set a great example for her new teammates,” head coach Mike Davenport said in Emmalee’s press conference.
After the first game, a special performance of Make-A-Wish Day built by the Nighthawk Nation (#UNGWish16) preceded a special delivery to Watkins by a UNG cadet. Yellow smoke from the hill high above left field gave way to the cadet zip-lining down onto the field with briefcase in hand, containing “TOP SECRET INFORMATION” for Watkins’ eyes only.
“Dear Emmalee Watkins,” Watkins read aloud to the crowd, “in just one week, you are your family will be granted your wish, and will be going to Turks and Caicos for a six-day vacation at the Beaches Resort. Sincerely, the Nighthawk Nation.”
UNG split the doubleheader, and Watkins and her family enjoyed a special dinner outside the Coleman Field House.
“One of my favorite experiences was throwing a softball with Courtney Poole, one of the best pitchers in the country,” Watkins said.
The doubleheader was broadcast nationally by ESPN3. The broadcast marked several firsts for both UNG and the NCAA as it was the first time any on-campus baseball or softball games aired on ESPN3 as part of Division II’s new media agreement with ESPN.
“She enjoyed all of the events, but her interactions with the softball team were great,” said Mike Watkins, Emmalee’s father. “I could see how much fun she was having with them. Having Make-A- Wish and ESPN here to be part of this has made it even more special, and I can’t believe how full of love everyone at UNG has been. We have felt like part of the family through the whole thing, especially in the care they’ve shown in personalizing Emmalee’s experience – right down to making sure her name and number were on her softball jersey.”
In 2015, UNG’s Department of Athletics raised more than $11,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, marking the fifth consecutive year that UNG has been listed in the top five fundraisers among NCAA Division II schools. Twelve years ago, Division II began its alliance with Make-A-Wish, and since then it has raised nearly $4.1 million. That money has been used to grant wishes to more than 530 children across the country with life-threatening medical conditions.
Krupp’s Walk-Off Sac Fly Lifts UNG, 7-6
UNG Baseball March 23, 2016
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — Senior Kevin Krupp delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th inning Tuesday to lift the University of North Georgia to a 7-6 win over West Georgia and help the Nighthawks snap a four-game skid.
In a game of missed opportunities, UNG left the bases loaded in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings before breaking through in the 9th. Trevor Sams led off the final frame with a walk then advanced to second when Steven Tomlinson singled to left. Ryan Tomita laid down a bunt which relief pitcher Ryan Sapp fielded cleanly but threw the ball into right field scoring Sams and tying the game at 6-all. Freshman Joshua Profit drew a walk to load the bases again and Krupp hit a towering fly ball to the warning track in center field plating the winning run.
UNG (14-12) took an early 2-0 lead in the second, scoring both runs on wild pitches. UWG (16-9) cut the lead to 2-1 on a Tyler Hutch home run in the third and tied it when Dalton Rogers singled and eventually scored an unearned run in the fourth.
Devin Gearhart lined the first of his two doubles to lead off the fourth and gave the Nighthawks a 3-2 lead when he scored on an error by shortstop Jake Wilkinson.
The Wolves took their first lead in the sixth inning when Garrett Hayes led off with a homer to right, Caleb Lopes singled and scored on Rogers double to right. They extended the lead to 5-3 in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center.
Trevor Sams’ two-run single to left tied the game again in the Nighthawks seventh.
UWG went back on top in the eighth when Rogers led off with a single to right. Chase Waters walked and was hit in the back when the Nighthawks tried to pick him off. The ball got away from the first baseman and Waters got caught in a rundown, allowing Rogers to score the go ahead run.
Trailing 6-5, Nighthawks relief pitcher Jacob Jones came on to strike out the sides in the 9th inning and set the stage for Krupp’s game-winning sac fly.
Jones (1-1) was the winning pitcher. Ryan Sapp (0-1) was the loser.
Gearhart, Sam Tidback, Sams and Tomlinson each had two hits for UNG. Sams added a pair of RBI.
The Nighthawks next action is a Friday doubleheader against Armstrong State in Savannah. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.