Quarantine has given the American people a lot of free time this past month. With rising concerns over COVID-19, Governor Kemp has encouraged all Georgia citizens to remain as isolated as possible for the time being.

However, that does not mean that a place like Dawson County has stopped completely. Life goes on and many Dawsonville businesses have been using creative ways to stay afloat during this time. 

Just like businesses, families have been coming up with different ways to make each day a new one during this period of social distancing. Here are just a few of the ways families have stayed active, both mentally and physically, in these uncertain times. 

You’re never too old to learn your family’s favorite game night board game. Brock Jordan has played board games in the past, but never as much as he has since quarantine started.

 In fact, Brock has been loving them so much that his grandmother, Jill Brock, has already bought him three more games to play.

“He loves to "win” the games and just spending time doing things together,” Brock said.

Ally Kirby is a local Dawsonville artist. Though she usually spends her artistic talent on painting wood that her husband has carved, quarantine has sparked her love for painting portraits.

Kirby said she wanted to paint something that made her happy. She used a picture of her son Dylan from the Hemlock festival last year, where the Kirby’s were selling their wood art.

Kirby said she had feared that painting portraits would push her too far out of her comfort zone, but that now, after painting this one, she would love to paint more for others.

“I just love to paint and love the joy it brings to others as they feel a deep connection with my art,” Kirby said.

Kirby said that quarantine has reminded her family how important it is to slow down. She said her life before the quarantine was fast-paced, with her husband’s landscaping business and her son’s school and swim team practices, and the adjustment to slow-paced life was challenging.

“It's definitely different but it helps put my mind at ease knowing we are all in this together,” Kirby said.

Emelyn Brown has been taking advantage of her free time by fishing with her grandpa, Joey Bearden. They have always loved fishing together, and quarantine has allowed them to have more time to do it.

Emelyn has also given gardening a try and has loved doing that.

“We are enjoying the slower-paced life, spending more quality time with family, and enjoying more outside activities,” Bearden said.

The Wilson family has been taking advantage of quarantine life. Along with their family bonfires, they have also started cooking family dinners together, going on family walks and are making family movie nights a much more common occurrence.

 Mother Courtney Wilson said that these are all things that they would like to continue once quarantine is over.

“We’ve enjoyed the slower pace of life,” Wilson said. “Kids are itching to get back to their sports of soccer and gymnastics and my husband and I are still working, so life hasn’t completely stopped for us.”