Ashburn community bands together to ‘rebuild’ peanut statue

ASHBURN — For many of those in the community of Ashburn, the giant peanut statue visible from Interstate 75 has come to symbolize their home and the agriculture that their community depends on.

Since being erected in 1975, the statue has seen some wear and tear from being exposed to the elements, but it was the devastating Hurricane Michael that damaged the monument the most.

Once standing tall and announcing “Georgia 1st in Peanuts” to drivers on I-75, the statue now lies on the ground, detached from its brick base and broken.

And the damage to the peanut statue is also symbolic of the damage to many crops in southwest Georgia, with cotton crops hit hardest.

Sarah Mastrario Cook, a Turner County resident, has set out to raise money to repair the damage done to the monument with the help of Turner County Young Farmers. Cook said she was motivated to try and raise money to restore the peanut because of all that it symbolizes.

“As I travel all over the state for my job and describe where in Georgia I am from, one of the things that gets the most recognition from folks, is when I say, ‘I’m from the town with the big peanut!’” Cook said. “Immediate responses on social media to the damage that was a result of Hurricane Michael included folks that said they used it as a landmark on family vacations or proclaimed how much it symbolized ‘home’ for them. Most importantly, the peanut monument is a reminder of the significance of the agriculture industry to not only Turner County but to our entire state’s economy.”

Cook and the Turner County Young Farmers had been trying to raise money to restore the peanut for more than two years well before Michael’s devastating impact.

“We had been saving a portion of the proceeds from our annual fundraising efforts and T-shirt sales to spruce it up and fix some damage that had occurred over the past 40 years,” Cook said.

However, after the hurricane, Cook and the rest of the Turner County Young Farmers decided to start a GoFundMe for the peanut.

“Creating this GoFundMe was a suggestion from several people that wanted to help but that aren’t locals, and it is also a way for the community to show support for our farmers and rally behind them in the wake of their devastating crop losses,” Cook said.

Advisor to the Turner County Young Farmers, Dennis Kendrick, agreed.

“The hurricane hit Georgia hard,” Kendrick said. “Many of the fields were destroyed, leaving the farmers devastated with no chance of recovery on this year’s crop. Members of the agriculture community are survivors. Even in the worst times they bond together and rebuild. The peanut monument is a symbol of our Georgia agriculture industry. As you can see, it took at direct hit from Hurricane Michael as well. Like our agriculture industry, rebuilding the peanut will symbolize that with time we will rebuild and persevere!”

The goal for the GoFundMe is $50,000. A little over a year ago, Cook and her husband got an estimate from a company in Albany on what it would take to repair the peanut’s then minimal damages. The estimate they got was around $20,000. Cook also wants to fix the gazebo and sitting area near the peanut that were damaged by a car running off the interstate.

“Those initial costs, plus restoring the much more substantial damage from the hurricane, make the $50,000 estimate seem reasonable,” Cook said. “We even talked about creating outdoor educational signage about the peanut industry (and the Georgia ag industry in general) if we raise excess funds than the repairs take.”

As of Oct. 17, two days after the GoFundMe account was started, $575 of the $50,000 goal had been raised.

While the fundraising efforts were organized by Cook, Kendrick and the Young Farmers organization, Cook said leaders of the community have also stepped up to try and work toward repairing the iconic peanut.

“Our Young Farmers advisor has worked with County Manager Joe Saxon and several of our county commissioners,” Cook said. “They wholeheartedly support the repair and restoration of our roadside landmark. Turner County Chamber of Commerce President Ashley Miller is also actively working with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s tourism division to seek out additional funding sources as well as reaching out to nationally recognized peanut processing companies and working with our local arts council. Civic engagement and community pride are two of the things that are what making living in a small community so great.”

Cook has also reached out to local business owners with expertise in fiberglass work for suggestions on what to do next.

“When we reach our goal and close out the GoFundMe (I definitely say WHEN and not IF) that money will be transferred to officials to administer the funds and ensure the work is completed,” Cook said. “I would love to see a town celebration to dedicate the restoration of our important landmark. It would even be neat to have Mr. Peanut from Planters there or other major peanut company representatives.

“It will be a happy day indeed to travel north on I-75 to exit 82 and see that monument standing tall and remind folks that Georgia is ‘1st in Peanuts’ again!”