In getting to sit and talk this week with several members of the O’Neal family about the renovation and reopening of the O’Neals buffet on North Ashley Street, one theme kept coming up — the importance of hard work.

Mr. O’Neal worked two or three jobs his whole life to support the family and kept cows and other livestock. His five boys were expected to work from the earliest age possible, and listening to them talk about sharing one bedroom and hearing their father come into the room in the morning to wake them up was touching. “We’d lay real still and hope he moved onto the next one!”

That emphasis on hard work to make a living has done the children well and would do all children well, especially today when so many have such a sense of entitlement.

Seeing their father work so hard was a welcome change from so much of what we see today, when people want to do the least for the most. That isn’t to say that there aren’t many young folks with a good work ethic, just far too few. And surprisingly to me, there are far too few parents who want to set a good example for their children.

The only way to know you are going to be taken care of in today’s world is to learn to take care of yourself.

Money comes and goes, jobs come and go, but if you have a strong work ethic, both will be much easier to obtain and hold onto than if you don’t. Just a thought.



Annual Chamber dinner is this week

The 98th year will be marked this week by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce at the annual dinner Tuesday evening.

If you are in business in Valdosta, which applies to pretty much everyone, then you ought to attend the dinner for the networking opportunities and to hear the speaker. Errol B. Davis Jr. chancellor of the University System of Georgia, will give the keynote address, discussing the challenges facing the university system today.

The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour and a cash bar, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Those interested in purchasing tickets should contact the Chamber office at (229) 247-8100.



Business Roundup

Several things are going on on North Ashley Street this week. The O’Neals buffet reopening was a big deal for many, and the former Maryland Fried Chicken is getting a new tenant soon. It will be a Hibachi Express.

Also on North Ashley Street, the Margarita’s restaurant has closed down.

There are also some new things going on in Hahira. Coombs Appliance Repair is opening this week at 110 S. Church St., offering repair and service as well as used appliances to buy and sell.

And the new Church Street Coffee opened yesterday at 101 S. Church St. They are offering coffee, donuts, light breakfast sandwiches and salads, along with ice cream and milkshakes.

Hildegard’s downtown was still closed for repairs last week when I tried to stop by but should be opening again soon.

That’s about it for this week. If there’s anything I missed, please let me know!