By JIMMY BOOTH

Special to The Citizen

Back in Peachtree City’s early years, I remember attending some games during a large invitational men’s softball tournament held at Riley Field in Peachtree City.

I went specifically to watch a team composed mostly of some current and former writers from The Atlanta Journal & Constitution.

I knew some of these guys, and during a break during games, they asked me to help them find a place out of the sun where they could rest until the next game.

I took them to a roadside park on Highway 54 on the property now occupied by the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center, where they immediately started unloading instrument cases from their cars and got into an dedicated bluegrass pickin’ session.

As I recall, the group included legendary columnist Lewis Grizzard; Ron Hudspeth, who wrote the newspaper’s “people” column; Lee Walburn, later editor of Atlanta Magazine; and Gerry Chatham, later a highly successful public relations practitioner.

It’s an experience I will never forget.

[Jimmy Booth, publisher of the first newspaper in Peachtree City, now lives in Dahlonega, Ga.]

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