Ribbon Cutting 

On Friday, we had the final ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the connection of the east and west side of the LINC trail system.

Mayor Keith Brady attended the ribbon cutting and complimented the LINC team on completing a major part of the trail system. He said, “You guys have done such an amazing job getting this first major trunkline of the LINC completed within the proposed time.”

Mayor Brady also complimented the LINC for connecting the Newnan community through this well-planned trail system we all know and love. He said, “It’s one of the more popular amenities of our city. Creating the LINC trail system took time and effort to create the perfect master plan, connecting Newnan with beautiful trails, so everyone could walk, bike, and make their way anywhere throughout our city. “

The ribbon cutting was a perfect representation of all the hard work that went into the LINC and how much the LINC means to our community. Mayor Keith Brady said, “So first and foremost, I want to say thank you always to the citizens of the county who passed the SPLOST funding to make this happen. This can happen for future planned sections as well.”

We couldn’t have asked for a better ribbon cutting ceremony or a better project to celebrate. We all look forward to seeing our community continuing to use the LINC every day.

Interview with Scott Chahalis, LINC Sculpture Donor Concurrent Metamorphosis II

We had the chance to speak with Scott and Tammy Chahalis–the wonderful donors who made the LINC Sculpture project “Concurrent Metamorphosis II” a reality!

When asked about their involvement in the LINC sculpture project, Scott said, “the journey began when we were looking to make a contribution or a donation within the community.”

Both Scott and his wife Tammy saw the LINC and loved what this project would do for the Newnan community. Scott talked about how the LINC is an asset for all the nearby communities. He said, “Everyone can walk or bicycle you know, with easy access and parking. They come from all over Newnan and Coweta County and from Peachtree City and Fayette County too.”

Scott contacted Chris Rothermel about the sculpture project. Scott told us about reaching out to Chris. He said, “wow, this is really, really interesting. And he was a professor at the time, I think, over at SCAD. So I contacted him out of the blue and I said, Wow, I really like your art.”

Scott Chahalis told Chris all about the LINC sculpture project. Chris was extremely interested in the project, which led to many conversations with LINC about the scope and location of the sculpture. Scott said he “stepped away and let the art develop and [gave] the artists space […] to go ahead and do it.”

Scott Chahalis is the president of Blickle USA Division, but through our conversation, Scott clarified the donation was a personal project. He said, “the donation was made personally by my wife Tammy and I. We wanted to give back to the community, but we also here at Blickle Love the company here in the US. It’ a German based company […] and they have a great history of giving back[…] The Blickle family is always giving back.”

Scott shared insight into the journey of bringing the LINC sculpture to life. He said, “this was all pre-COVID when we would have these meetings and of course, from inspiration to reality is a journey and it’s really the artist’s journey. So we had a lot of delays due to COVID”

We asked Scott to share his thoughts on the sculpture. He said, “It’s remarkable […] it’s overwhelming when you walk on LINC and then you start to see […] a series of art pieces forming to me, almost like a snake […] paralleling the path for the LINC. […] it gives me joy to see it.”

Scott shared his thoughts on the importance of art. He said, “the hope has always been for the LINC from my perspective was that this piece by Chris would inspire other individuals within the community, other companies within the community to continue with this journey to transform the LINC into really an outdoor art museum.”

Scott spoke on how the LINC art projects will inspire the community. He said, “we could have something really remarkable here and we could highlight local artists. We can highlight all different types of art. And it’s for everybody who walks on the LINC. […] Art is beauty and it’s also inspiring. And the hope is that in the world, in which we live, it’s just one thing to focus on positively.”

Scott expressed how important the LINC and this community are to him and his wife. He said,
“Tammy and I were delighted to do this. We love our community and we’re all members in this
amazing community. And hopefully we can continue with this progress and this vision for LINC.”

Parks Avery–chairman of the Friends of the LINC–introduced artist Chris Rothermel and donor Scott Chahalis to begin the dedication of this beautiful public art installation. 

Newnan Mayor Keith Brady was in attendance and praised the LINC and the determination that went into this beautiful project, and expressed the importance of the LINC, which was perfectly exemplified when a LINC user walked the trail–even in the rain–before the dedication ceremony began. 

Chris Rothermel highlighted the importance of bringing art into public spaces. He shared how much he values this experience and having the chance to work on an initiative to spread art throughout the community here in Newnan–and looks forward to seeing the future art pieces his sculpture: Concurrent Metamorphosis II will influence and inspire in Newnan.

Get Outside!

Now that the weather is cooler, there is no better time to get feet, paws, and bikes on the LINC. The CDC has a great page on the health benefits of walking trails: HERE

Upcoming Events

Stone Sculpture Interviews and Updates

We interviewed Chris Rothermel, Bob Godfrey, Anna Knight, and Wesley Maddox about their experiences with the LINC sculpture project as well as touring the CRLG studio. Here are some excerpts from these interviews. Make sure to look out for the full interviews, which will be published at a later date. 

Chris Rothermel shared how his sculpture studio came to be: “we developed this company to address larger scale public art pieces. We did a piece in Atlanta, midtown Atlanta last year that kind of kicked off the sculpture practice.”

Chris Rothermel expressed his joy in working with these materials: “I’ve been working with stone and glass in particular for about 20 years now, and I’ve always enjoyed the contrast between the luminescence of white marble in contrast to the illuminated glass part.”

We spoke with Wesley Maddox, sculptor major at La Grange College about the LINC sculpture project.

Wesley discussed the learning experiences that came from working on this project: “it was my first time using a lot of power tools and a lot of like chisels and learning how to use different muscles and different parts and tools for sculpture.

Wesley discussed how valuable it was to work on this project: “being an art student and getting out there and getting work is just such a difficult thing these days. And to have a hand in something like this is just a wonderful opportunity.”

Interview with Bob Godfrey of CRLG

We also spoke with Bob Godfrey: Chris Rothermel’s assistant. 

Bob shared what he loves about working with CRLG sculpture practice: “I love the challenge of what I’m able to able to do with CRLG sculpture practice. It’s always a learning experience. There’s so many challenges and it’s a personal accomplishment to continually learn and and conquer task.”

Bob Godfrey can’t wait for LINC users to enjoy the sculptures when the project is finished: “It’s going to be very gratifying to see the end result and see how much users of the LINC enjoy our work.”

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Our ribbon cutting ceremony was a huge success and begins the next step for the LINC. The LINC is embarking on new adventures to bring Newnan together through connecting our beautiful community. 

Mayor Keith Brady spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony sharing the importance of the LINC and this newest addition to the LINC trail system. Mayor Brady greeted everyone who turned up for the ribbon cutting and shared his support for the entire team that helped make the LINC a reality. 

The Ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by many frequent visitors to the LINC as well as many people who helped plan and create the LINC. 

The ribbon cutting was a major success, and the friends of the LINC came out to support this momentous occasion. This ceremony points toward the future of the LINC and the importance of these trail systems for our Newnan community.

Qualls said, “A lot of people park at the Newnan Center and the Don Nixon Center in those parking lots. […] It’s a great place to access the path from there.”

The LINC is great for anyone. Qualls said, “It’s a lot of fun and adventure as much as you want or as little as you want. […] it’s very popular with dog walkers and you’ll notice that they have scattered all along the way some facilities to help you clean up after your dog.”

Do you want to enjoy your local community when you have some time to spare? Qualls shares how the LINC is a great way to take a break around Newnan. Qualls said, “All along the LINC,

there are various places to stop and take a break. Some nice folks have donated benches.”

Do you want to start walking more? The journey might feel long, but the LINC can make walking fun for you. Qualls said, “It’s a great place to stop in the shade. Take a break, have a drink, maybe visit with somebody you know, and it breaks it up for you if you need to do that.”

The LINC makes it easy to keep Newnan clean when you enjoy everything your city has to offer including the beauty of nature. Qualls said, “the LINC has numerous places to throw your trash away and to recycle and it’s a great way to keep the place clean. Take some pride in and do our part. Also on the link path, there’s every kind of Georgia wildlife you can think of.”

The hustle and bustle of a busy life can make you think it’s impossible to enjoy the little things, but the LINC makes sure wildlife and nature is easily accessible to all of Newnan. Qualls said, “enjoy the sounds of nature, the sights of the different birds especially. […] there are deer; pretty much every kind of wildlife that’s in Georgia is here […] you will see some of it as you walk the

LINC.”

Do you want a break from your busy day? The LINC is the perfect opportunity to make this dream a reality. Jim Qualls wants to share his own love for the LINC with all of you. Qualls said, “I recommend that you tune in to nature, listen to the birds, see them, stop at the creeks,

on the bridges and look down the creek and see what you see. We were just hearing a hawk over our heads a minute ago and it’s very relaxing to get away from it all and enjoy the outdoors.”

Are you ever nervous to walk because you don’t know the area well enough? The LINC is here to help. Qualls said this about the accessibility and ease of using the LINC: “the LINC is very well marked, telling you which way to go. Where to go. Different places. You’ll notice also that there [are] tunnel[s] here […]. So you can miss the traffic.”

Jim Qualls enjoys using the LINC and he encourages everyone in Newnan and nearby communities to get out and use this valuable resource.

The LINC trail system in Newnan Georgia offers many benefits to its residents. We spoke to exercise coach and LINC user Jim Qualls about the various benefits the LINC has to offer.

Path systems are extremely beneficial for their communities. Qualls appreciates “The effect [the LINC] has on the community that those paths are going through.” 

The introduction of the LINC has helped Newnan grow as a community, bringing everyone together while encouraging our citizens to get out and be active. 

Qualls said the LINC “allows people to be able to move all these places-short distances, long distances, without having to be in a car.” The LINC offers accessibility and comfortable access to Newnan for anyone and everyone. 

There’s something for everyone on the LINC. Qualls said there are “so many different ways to enjoy it that different people with different interests and different abilities can do.”

Qualls expresses how much he loves the LINC and how much he enjoyed our past events. He said, “I’ve been to 2 or 3 of the events the LINC committee has held on the LINC. The most recent one [was] the big one at Newnan Centre.”

Are you excited for more art through the LINC trail system in Newnan Georgia? If so, you are in luck! John Christian, a muralist who started the Georgia Mural Trail through his company Go Georgia Arts, is creating more beautiful pieces of art along the LINC. These murals will capture the history of Newnan for a new generation.

John Christian gave insight into what inspires him to create art, in particular, murals. Even before murals were his main focus, John would paint murals to earn extra money. “In a 30 year span John has built and created 15 art centers, studios, and/or live theater locations in eleven cities in six counties in Georgia.” During his time building and maintaining theaters, John created murals to help cover the losses of the theaters. 

While working in theaters, painting sets and backdrops, and creating murals on the side, John decided he wanted to create more of a legacy, which lead to the Georgia Mural Trail which continues with his forthcoming murals in Newnan, Georgia. 

History is an amazing source of inspiration for John Christian. During our conversation, he told us about a past project refinishing a sign that was discovered when an old building was being torn down. This sign had not been seen since 1908. John has a deep love for history and art. His pride comes through as he tells this story and says, “you’re always revitalizing history.”

Being able to tell the history of each town is of great importance to John. He explained that his murals will always tell a story, highlighting the important historical moments of each town. 

John Christian discussed his process of finding these important pieces of history for each town, and deciding which elements should be present within the final mural. John discussed the importance of coming up with a mission statement for each mural, deciding what each mural should accomplish both visually and emotionally. His process involves creating a list of potential themes and elements to include in the mural and narrows this down until he finds the most important details that make it into the final design in order to perfectly capture the unique history of each city. 

Throughout our conversation, we asked about his previous experience creating a mural for the LINC. He talked about the previous murals by saying, “the first mural was more […] selfie shots. […]it says Love the linc and [has] a lot of flowers, a lot of brightness on one side. And then the other side basically was […] old antebellum columns to indicate […] downtown […] historic Newnan.” 

He went on to explain the theme of the new mural. It will represent Newnan’s history, especially the industries which built Newnan. He showed visuals of his designs for the murals and how this project will focus on the history of Newnan, especially the medical industry. He said, “this top one […] more shows the medical aspect of Newnan and it goes from the first African-American person to get their doctorate degree in quite a county, which is pretty amazing.”

He explained that the second mural focuses on more modern Newnan history and how various industries helped build Newnan into the city it is today.