Please excuse the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks. Last weekend my family went to a wedding in Dahlonega (pronounced like harmonica, with the accent on the second syllable), Georgia. Prior to that we were caught up in preparations for the trip, and after getting back there was recovery time, catching up on things we didn't get to do because of the trip, etc. Anyway, I didn't write for a while, and let myself get out of the habit of writing. Time went by. So, today I decided I had to force myself to start writing again. This is the result.

But, let me tell you about Dahlonega. It is an interesting place that reminded me a great deal of Sag Hampton -- if you overlook the fact that Dahlonega is landlocked. But aside from the lack of boats, there was much that was familiar in this small southern town, and I found that interesting indeed. One very obvious similarity was that like Sag Hampton, Dahlonega takes its history seriously.

(Digression: I would have liked to have some pictures to illustrate this post, but unfortunately, my camera broke while I was there, so I only have one, not very interesting, picture from Dahlonega. However, since this photo does reflect Dahlonega's historic bent, I have published it in the sidebar.)

Dahlonega is principally famous as the location of the Georgia gold rush which, apparently, immediately preceded the better known California gold rush. Now I had never heard of the Georgia gold rush, so I'm taking their word for the fact that Dahlonega is, in fact, famous for it. But then again, I suppose not many Georgians would know that Sag Harbor was once a busier commercial seaport than New York City, so they'll just have to take our word for that.

Another interesting similarity with Sag Hampton, is that today, Dahlonega is in the middle of Georgia wine country. Ok, once again, I have to admit my ignorance. I never would have guessed that they made wine in Georgia, moonshine maybe, but wine?  However, given that the wedding we attended took place in a very lovely winery, surrounded by an impressively large vineyard, I don't have to take anyone's word for it. They do indeed make wine in Georgia, and it is pretty good wine, at that.

They also take historic preservation pretty seriously. There's a square in the center of Dahlonega, and in the center of the square is a lovingly restored courthouse circa 1836, that's now the Gold Rush Museum. All around the square, are many original period buildings, and, except for a really bad traffic problem (sound familiar?), the entire area is quite lovely to look at. It felt comfortably unhurried, and very welcoming. In short, it reminded me of being here, without the boats and beaches.

Dahlonega is also a center of tourism. Maybe not on the same scale as Sag Hampton, but it was clear that the area drew a lot of vacationers and day-trippers from Atlanta, which is only an hour and a half to the south. This is where our visit to Dahlonega grew instructional, for I couldn't help noticing that, pretty as their little square was, it was not a living part of their town anymore. Every business along all four sides of the square was tourist oriented: gift shops, souvenir shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, a tourist information center, bed and breakfasts, coffee shops, the museum in the center of the square, and, of course, a sprinkling of the ever-present real estate offices that grow like warts on the face of every tourist town. All the businesses that provide real services to residents, had been banished to the outskirts of town...out by the Walmart. So, Dahlonega proper had pretty much devolved into a sort of Disneyesque historic attraction which was probably avoided like the plague by actual Dahlonegans.

I saw this as the writing on the wall for Sag Hampton. We're more than halfway there already. You know you're in trouble when everyone's in denial about the problem and cites the same examples of why it's not true. "We still have the Variety Store," we all say. "And we still have a grocery store on Main Street. What about the dry cleaner and the laundromat? See, we're still a working village." Yeah, right. It's pretty sad when you can count the number of non-summer-people-related businesses on the fingers of one hand.

So, I had a great time in Dahlonega, GA. Saw the sites, almost bought some souvenirs I didn't need, drank some really nice wine, and danced the night away at my niece's wedding. But, underlying my happiness, was a touch of dread, as I looked around and saw the future of Sag Hampton.

I promise to write more regularly. Someone needs to wake this burg up, before it's too late.