Oak Ridge Lodge: Event and Wedding Venue, Overnight Accomodation

01/06/2026

THE LODGE WAS NEVER SO BLESSED!
It was pure Kismet, and perhaps Mr. Webster's most concrete example thereof. Saturday a caller from an 817 area code asked if I'd let a small group of Buddist Monks sleep on my grounds that night. I knew of this Peace March from Texas to D.C., heard they were coming through Oconee County, and instantly said my grounds and the whole of Oak Ridge Lodge would be theirs. "That's good, but they'll just sleep on the floor" was the reply, and an event that would affect all who live near me was about to begin.
My location and an invitation for all visitors that evening set my phone on fire. I called the Oglethorpe Co. Sheriff's Dept. requesting traffic assistance, "at the least". What unfolded Saturday night was magical experince for 500 or more folks who came here and heard a wonderful "Dharma Talk" about love and and compassion. These revered Monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana in Ft. Worth provided the magic of spreading their words of peace and unity, and the person who desserves credit for allowing it to be a safe experience is Oglethorpe County Emergency Director, Josh Robinson. I can't thank him enough, as he showed up asap and pulled together a group of mostly-volunteers in fire, emergency and police areas to ensure all went without a hitch. Cars were parked on both sides of the road on both directions for a mile! It was a wonderful, respectful, quiet, attentive crowd, and I appreciate all who came and helped make it so perfect!
I did manage a few photos, but only now, a day later am I recovering from that whirlwind 28 hours when fate turned my area into a place of great enthusiasm and inspiration!

02/11/2025

Because our guest might need to do some quick washing and drying, we have two washers and two dryers in the Lodge!

11/22/2024

10/16/2024

Other VRBO/Airbnb hosts love to rent my place, and I appreciate/love the comments relative their experiences at MY place! Last weekend's guest were effusive about our cleanliness, which we take GREAT pains to create!

09/16/2024

THANK YOU to so many who wished me a great birthday! I spent it enjoying Porchfest in Highlands, N.C.,where my son and granddaughter (Spence and Kennedy Downs) performed with family friend Blake Benson. It was a great show!

08/22/2024

What do you call an old runner? A cyclist. That's me, and it's been 20 years since a neighbor talked me into giving my knees a rest. 20 years of riding together and we STILL haven't run out of things to talk about. Ya gotta love any sport done while sitting down! Thanks Ed Frey, let's do 20 more!

07/29/2024

Athens was an Olympic city 28 years ago, and I spent three weeks documenting the international competition from Tennessee to Atlanta. I'd covered national championships from Oregon to Miami, but this was a whole different animal! My Olympic ID gave total access to events and athlete villages, & with no limitations, I was on my way! First was the Torch Relay, as the flame came to Athens. I'd set up to catch it at one place, then scoot ahead to another, driving, running to get ahead of it. I got some great highlights-Jimbo LaBoon bringing it into the city, Billy Payne (ACOG leader, who brought the Olympics to Atl), and Vince Dooley bringing flame into the stadium, and legendary Fred Birchmore carrying it through downtown!

07/15/2024

Big news at a press conference at the Classic Center. The first concert in the Arena will be Athens' own B-52s on Sat., Dec. 14th, 2024. My photos of the B's from 46 years ago (and some I shot in 2023) were displayed at the gathering. Thank you Classic Center, I'm honored. They were one of the first bands I photographed, and I haven't stopped yet-looking forward to 12/14/24!

07/12/2024

Athens is about to take a giant step forward culturally/economically/historically...as the Classic Center "Arena" will be opening in 5 short months. Inside it, and all around it, will be the Ga. Music Hall of Fame, a giant jewel in the crown of this city. The GMHOF exhibits/interactive displays/amazing artifacts will help cement our city as a worldwide must-see music wonder. I've been scanning negatives/slides I shot from the 1970s on, for possible inclusion in the GMHOF as have other shooters of a "certain age". I can't wait to see what is done with the collection that's been waiting for years in the UGA library (the original GMHOF in Macon, home of Capricorn Records, brought here when it closed in Macon), to be dovetailed with the Athens HOF items. You may not have heard much about the Arena so far, but it will be busting this place wide open soon. Our new Pro Hockey team (the Rock Lobsters) will play on the ice beneath the floor, and the 8,000 capacity place will rock with concerts entertainment for all ages, sporting events, and...Here's to Paul Cramer and his expanding visions of what the Classic Center could do for Athens since he began directing this amazing facility in 1996!

06/26/2024

An amazing weekend at my Lodge! Gravelfest '24 brought 100 registered gravel riders to my venue, Oak Ridge Lodge (oakridgelodgega.com) for rides in the Oconee National Forest next to my land. The Hub, at Five Points, organized it, and it was a stunning success-demos of new bikes in my pasture, cold Terrapin libation, just a perfect day! My Lodge grounds (and resident donkeys) have never been so appreciated!

06/18/2024

Two years ago I was marveling with two other UGA grads, David Vaughn and Lewis Massey, about us having parents who were '49 UGA grads/classmates/friends. 73 YEARS LATER we were at David's home for a special book reading by Coach Dooley at David's home in Atlanta! Even more amazing was one of those '49 grads, Abit Massey, was STILL very active with UGA at 94 years of age! We just lost Abit, one of UGA's greatest treasures, and I envision a reunion of those three, and so many more! I use the word "us" because Abit made everyone feel special and appreciated. We all shared his stories, laughter and friendship.

Abit received every honor a UGA alum can receive...including the highest honor, the President's Award, given by President Jere Morehead. I was. lucky enough to be around him often as a photographer at many UGA events. I would relay "hellos" between he and my mother. She remembered that special creme pie from his parent's cafe, located across from campus, on what was later the Episcopal Chapel (and now an Episcopal apartment complex). He literally grew up on campus, off Lumpkin St., and his efforts in the poultry industry contributed greatly to UGA being a world leader in poultry research, and Gainesville, Ga. (his home) the "Poultry Capital of the world".

Abit's beauty-queen wife, Kayanne, was the love of his life and object of his total adoration, and they were a handsome couple. My thoughts go to sweet Kayanne in the loss of her soulmate. A tall, handsome man who looked at least 20 years younger than his actual age, Abit was always sharp, quick and full of energy.

My favorite story was when one of his sisters received Mortar Board when he was a young lad.
Back then, the honor was bestowed upon the unsuspecting female in the middle of the night by a group of Mortar Board members. The group went into the wrong bedroom and Abit said, upon awakening to beautiful ladies singing all around his bed, he thought he'd "died and gone to heaven".

06/17/2024

The gardenias are making the Lodge look and smell wonderful! Love the giant hedge I planted so many years ago!