I’m writing this hurriedly to slide it in past deadline, but I promised the papers that I’d do it today. I just had to wait to see how the “10 Years of Bowen Center” gala turned out. And it was great.

The “Old Rock School” looked beautiful. The food (thanks Kroger) was beautiful and delicious and bountiful. Entertainment was outstanding. Displays were enlightening and effective. Everyone was resplendent in black and white. And the rain, thankfully, held off until Sunday — when we received it, also thankfully.

Need I say more? Other than this: We should all be grateful for Grace Privette’s vision and persistence, for the gifts that made the remodeling possible, for the hard work and good leadership which has made this center for the arts one of Dawson County’s “crowning glories” (and the envy of many in our surrounding area), and for the continuing excellent leadership of Marcia Chelf and the present board of directors and volunteers. There are a couple of drawbacks: Shortage of money to keep the facility open and running, and residents who don’t even seem to be aware of it.

As I had thought about topics to cover before deciding to wait until after Saturday night’s celebration, I had planned to comment on some news browsing I’ve been doing. There has been a lot of talk about education (and more to come), much of it critical. As a former public school teacher, I tend to be defensive. I become even more so when I think about the recent program passed by the Georgia General Assembly, which allows up to a $2,500 tax credit for people who donate money for scholarships for public school students wanting to attend private schools.

There are some good reasons why some private schools are better than some public schools. Money alone is not the answer, of course, but perhaps the millions of dollars the above-mentioned program would cost could be better spent on improving public schools. I am convinced that the involvement of parents of private school students is a key ingredient.

Is it really true that “to those who have shall be given, even more than they have?”

That Biblical quotation may also be applicable to the tax/tax cuts situation. Not being in the upper 2 percent of the income bracket, I’m not fighting to keep those tax cuts.

But I did hear some interesting statistics last week: Washington actually took in comparatively less money during the years of those cuts, partly because those in that bracket had the wherewithal to avoid paying a goodly portion of the tax not cut. Are they to be given even more than they have?

Do you dread the political ad season we will endure during these upcoming weeks? I really hate to see/hear all the negative dirt, even if some of it is true.

On a more positive note, I want to congratulate County Commissioner Gary Pichon on his persistence in pursuing a plan for conserving 10,000 acres of Dawson Forest. Like the Bowen Center (actually, even more so), that property can be the envy of the surrounding area.

Helen Taylor’s column appears periodically in the Dawson Community News.