The Outpost: Creekside brews, views and food. Wings returning to Armuchee soon.
Plus business updates, GOP drafting House candidates, Rants & Raves
In today’s newsletter:
Euharlee’s rural appeal has a new player — a creekside brewery outpost with views — and brews.
Wings Plus taking flight in Armuchee: A familiar spot off Martha Berry is the planned home of a new wings place.
Business: What’s new in the River District and around town.
Politics: Some area Republicans are trying to draft candidates to oppose MTG as her latest Democratic opponent is coming around again.
Farewell to a friend: Mr. Ed’s latest challenge is our having to live without him.
Rants & Raves: A former Shorter baseball pitcher hits the majors… And with all the real news out there, why is the media obsessed with summer obsessions?
Dining & Drink
Drowned Valley Brewery Co. in downtown Cartersville has been one of the top spots for craft beer and food trucks for almost five years. Earlier this year, they expanded by opening The Outpost on Euharlee Creek next to the historic covered bridge.
The executive summary: It is close to perfect. Why’s that?
It has 16 of the award-winning hometown brews created by the Drowned Valley. Plus the draughts come in nine or 16 ounces. Please click for the latest update on what’s on tap.
The Outpost has a comfortable inside seating area and bar with tables, couches and two large TVs.
There’s a back porch with umbrellas and chairs so you can enjoy the creek and covered bridge view.
Down the back steps, there’s a grassy, creekside area with additional seating, a playground and other amenities. The community park across the street also is being upgraded.
On most days, there’s a solid lineup of regional food trucks (see below).
Plus, just a few doors up, Nicko’s New York Style Pizza will open later this summer. Remodeling was continuing when we drove by en route to The Outpost.
And we just like the “Euharlee” cups (please see below, next to the fries).
What’s on tap: We tried the Blood Orange Hard Seltzer, which was excellent. It has a unique taste, different from all the ciders now on the market, and packs a 6 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) vs. a 4.2 percent for a Bud Light).
There’s also a broad selection of Drowned Valley’s other concoctions as well as a pina colada slushee.
The prices are good, too. The nine-ounce servings are $3.49 to $4.99 while the pints are $5.49 to $6.99. You can get a tasting or two as well. Our bar bill, with tip and tax, was around $13.
Hours/address: 4 until 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 3 until 10 p.m. Friday, noon until 10 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 until 8 p.m. Sunday. Directions: 118 Covered Bridge Road in Euharlee just down from the Covered Bridge.
The rotating food trucks: South of Philly from Douglasville was onsite when we visited. We went with the traditional steak philly as well as a chicken version and a side of fries.
All were excellent with plenty of meat as well as the extras. The fresh buns were a plus. We still believe the region’s best philly is the one created by Sam Edwards at Sam’s Burger Deli in Armuchee but this was close.
With tax, it came to $32.60.
This weekend’s lineup includes Sharpe’s Southern Smoke Shack on Friday; the Club at Cedarcrest on Saturday (burgers and fried rock shrimp) and Smash Hit Burgers on Sunday. Please check The Outpost’s Facebook page for the food truck schedule.
Overall: It is as much an oasis as it is an outpost. It is a bit too warm to be outdoors right now but it will be prime for fall and spring.
It is an ideal addition to ever-changing Euharlee that will pair well with the new pizza shop as well as those enjoying kayaking or other travel on the waterways. Euharlee Creek Outfitters also is based nearby.
If you enjoy the water views at Cosmic Dog in downtown Rome or the soon-to-move River Remedy on Glenn Milner, The Outpost is your next stop.
Wings (chicken) over Armuchee
As in chicken wings. The long-vacant restaurant at 3989 Martha Berry just below Pasquale’s Pizza and Pasta is in play for a new spot, Wings Plus.
The longtime home of La Conquista has been mostly vacant since the restaurant moved and later closed.
Signage off Martha Berry tells of the restaurant’s pending arrival as well as a help-wanted pitch. We spoke with Torrey Hutchins who says he hopes to open by November at the latest or maybe sooner. “Definitely two or three more months,” he says.
Longtime residents will remember Chuck Patel’s WOW Cafe & Wingery down the highway across from the mall which had a long run before closing in 2017 as the franchise deal expired. (It was home to La Conquista after that).
The market has changed with numerous restaurants now offering wings in addition to Buffalo’s and Buffalo’s Wild Wings in addition to several spots around town (Blossom Hill, Moe’s, Jim ‘N Nick’s, Jefferson’s, Giggity’s, etc.) Even Antigua near the East Rome Walmart now offers a spin on wings.
You can get into a very serious argument over who has the best wings in town, probably second only to barbecue.
Business Ink
Taking the Fifth (Avenue)
Flooring South coming to 252 N. Fifth Ave. That didn’t take long. As the latest tenant closed operations in the River District, a new player was on the move.
Flooring South is opening a carpeting, hardwoods and more showroom just down from the Avenue A/West Third Street interchange.
The company’s website already is up. Hours are 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday.
Marathon begins: The new convenience store and more at Riverbend and Second Avenue — offering Marathon gas — is now open. The signs are up even as some exterior work continues. This has been a long process, at least three years, from zoning and permits to construction and finally opening.
Politics: GOP wants you — to run for Congress
Run, ____, run: The four blanks to the left mean nothing and everything. You can insert a name, and some already are, when it comes to Republican opponents should MTG seek a third term in the House.
And if she opts to run for governor, then those same operatives want their own horse in the race.
This isn’t an “Anyone but Margie” bid. This includes involved and influential Republicans from across the 14th Congressional District soliciting potential candidates.
We know of at least one person already is facing a draft movement. He jokes that the planets might be aligning to make it happen. Also key: some of the pressure to run is coming from outside Floyd County, instead from deeper red parts of the district.
A lot of decisions need to be made before Labor Day but based on what we’re hearing, Greene could face a real primary opponent in 2026.
Shawn Harris can do this all day: On the other side of the ballot, Shawn Harris isn’t wasting time in launching a second bid for the 14th as a Democrat.
The retired Army general turned farmer is quickly filling his Facebook page with slams against Greene, who defeated him in 2024 by a 64.4-35.6 percent margin or almost 109,000 votes.
Harris did a little better Marcus Flowers in 2022. Greene’s 2020 win is a wash as the Democratic candidate withdrew before the election (even though he still received more than 25 percent of the vote).
Mr. Ed’s Challenge: Helping us endure his loss
The voice of Northwest Georgia is silent today: It’s been 19 years almost to the day since K-98 was sold and it became part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting radio network. But even two decades off the air can’t fade the impact Ed McIntyre here.
He had THE golden voice with a sly sense of humor, a usually calm demeanor and the openness to mentor a flock of young talent on radio and briefly even the cable airwaves.
It was Ed’s voice that delivered the headlines each morning on K-98 amid constant harassing from morning hosts Tom Barclay and Robert Smyth. They’d frequently break into song to introduce “Mr. Ed’s Challenge.”
He likewise was that voice who reached out to listeners with “ … if you see Jill today, tell her to have a great day from all her friends here at K-98.” He’d quickly follow with the PSA du jour.
Off air, Ed and his bride Toni (radio sales) were busy in the community, with Ed often chairing the local chapter of Blood Assurance meetings.
In recent years, the McIntyres have called Mount Airy, N.C., home — the community that apparently was the model for Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. Even with health challenges, Ed found a way to have impact into his final days.
We’ve lost one of the best.
(Please click here to read Ed’s obituary).
Rants & Raves
Rave to former Shorter Hawks pitcher Jonathan Pintaro on his big league premiere: While pitching for the Hawks, between 2019 and 2023, Jonathan Pintaro posted a 27-12 record with a 3.44 career earned run average. He’d strike out 377 batters in all. After some time in the minor leagues, the right-handed was called up by the Mets and pitched June 25 vs. the Braves. He allowed two runs while pitching two thirds of the ninth inning as the Mets won 7-3. He’s the first Hawk to play in the Major Leagues. (Sources: Shorter, Mets).
Rant to the media’s obsession with summer obsessions: It must be a slow time for traditional media (Iran bombing, Minnesota assassinations, Gaza). They’ve broken out the annual summer scare checklist, also known as “click bait”:
Yup, it is hot — too hot given what the calendar shows but that’s what happens most summers…
And then we have shark attacks in the Gulf and the Atlantic … (maybe keyed to the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Jaws?)
Lightning strikes (including some lethal) along the beaches and at the lakes…
Alligator sightings (in all the normal places — Florida, Hilton Head …)
The first tropical system of the season (Andrea, which spun to a quick death in the northern Atlantic).
And what’s up next? Shark Week 2025 premiering July 20. Broadcast. Print. Web. Everywhere. You’d think we were in a news rut.
Turn the audio on to hear our newsletters
This and earlier newsletters are available in an audio version just by clicking the arrow (see the arrow in the red circle) on each edition. It is provided by Substack. Please give it a listen as we tinker with a real podcast likely debuting late summer.
Our test last week was about as successful as an Elon Musk starship launch — but the response and overall interest was stunning. Stay … tuned?