In the midst of a 13-day, 75-county bus tour across Georgia, Republican U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss made a stop in Dawson County and visited students at Kilough Elementary School Monday morning.

Originally set for the tour to stop at Dawsonville City Hall, one call to Chambliss’ campaign and a plan to detour for a celebrity reader day at the elementary school was set.

“My husband, Chris, contacted his party and asked if he would be interested in attending my second grade Authors Day,” said Kilough teacher Teresa Conowal. “From there, we turned it into a Celebrity Reader event, with all KES students meeting in the gym.”

Chambliss read a book called the Dream Jar, talked to students about the importance of education and also about his job in Washington.

Congressman Nathan and Sandra Deal joined Chambliss and his wife Julie Ann, a retired educator, on Monday’s bus tour.

The group spent about an hour touring the classrooms and speaking personally with students before heading off for the next stop, the Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Dahlonega. Early Monday morning the tour stopped at the courthouse steps in Forsyth County.

Chambliss will face Democratic challenger Jim Martin in next week’s election. Martin is also in the middle of a bus tour leading up to the election, although no stops are planned for Dawson County, according to his campaign Web-site.

E-mail Michele Hester at michele@dawsonnews.com.