I read with great interest today the article about Peter Higgins. Wants to run for a seat on Rincon’s City Council.

Hopes to be elected on his birthday. Moved to Effingham County with his family, and so far, he likes it.

Peter. Peter, Peter, Peter. (I’m shakin’ my head as I say his name.). I know you’ve been in EC for about six years now, but babydoll, I hate to tell you this. You are in Effingham County. The horse and buggy only faded out of existence a couple of weeks ago in ol’ Effingham.

People don’t know what “potable” means, baby, and it’s got nothin’ to do with being able to pick something up and moving it, folks, not at all.

Hubs was all for everything that you’ve got on your wish list. For years, people wondered how ol’ Hubs kept his yard so vibrant. Never saw sprinklers, or a hose, nothing like that. Nope. Hubs put a drain from the shower stall out to the yard. Did the same for the washing machine.

Wanted to build up a cistern to catch rain water, so that he could use that for washing clothes and watering the lawn, but he never got around to it. Seems to me the county might have some interest in takin’ a small percentage off water bills if people had a cistern installed. The potable water needs to be just that. Drinking water. Bathing water. I mean, maybe cistern water can be used for bathing, I don’t know. Haven’t Wikipedia’d it.

I agree, too, that Rincon needs some major lifestyle changes. It’s a nice little city waiting to happen. It’s a great sort of out-of-the-way place like Statesboro used to be ... and still is. But Statesboro has taken baby steps into the 21st century. Rincon hasn’t. OK, well, with the exception of Cato’s and Wal-Mart, maybe.

The Highway 21 corridor could be such a nice, welcoming segue into Effingham County, but it isn’t. You run smack into that humongous car dealership, even though that Goshen Road area and businesses are all pretty smart lookin’, you still feel like you’re in the Land That Time Forgot. Not that’s necessarily a bad thing, but when you want a Chick-fil-A, you don’t want to have to drive 25 miles to get one.

Never mind where you’d have to go to get a steak and a brew (my sibs prefer Outback, and they drive from hell and back to get it).

Rincon is a lot like Richmond Hill used to be. Yeah, yeah, I know. No one wants to copycat Richmond Hill, but has anyone actually driven down there to see all that is going on?? It was up and coming five years ago, and it is rocketing off to the moon. Restaurants, nice shops, nice housing developments ... a very comfortable and amenable place to live.

Kinda like Stilson.

“Where?” you ask.

You know ... Stilson. On the way to Statesboro. Take a ride over to Stilson and see what I mean. Might take about three seconds to look around, but they work it. Work it real good.

And hey, just because sometimes people want a bevvie with their meals does not necessarily make them out to be gypsies, tramps, and thieves. There are some intelligent, educated folks who like to have a libation once in awhile.

It’s not gonna drag your city down, and in fact, if alcohol were allowed to be dispensed in Rincon, you might actually find some pretty decent folks who want to move there. And I’m not saying that it’s the alcohol that hooks ’em in, it would be the choice of having it or not. Just as another hook would be the manicured medians. The well-kept roadsides. The upscale trend that Effingham so richly deserves and needs.

Springfield ... hmm. Got a really nice courthouse. And it has lots of potential. Don’t get me wrong ... I ain’t dissin’ ... I’m just sayin’....

Yep. There is a lot of potential in Effingham County. Each little area has great attributes that are not being played up to their fullest potential.

Would you rather have Effingham County always being called “Little Meth-opotamia”?

Come on, people.

Peter is right.

Time to whip out that boomstick and give Effingham County, and in particular, Rincon, the facelift it so dearly needs.

Guyton’s sure been trying to do it the last couple of years. You know ... Guyton? That little town with the beautiful old plantation homes?

You can find it easily.

Just head for Stilson.