Pam Merritt has a fun job. Merritt teaches Zumbatomic and Zumba classes weekly at Extreme Tumbling Training Center in Winder. This week Patch sat in on Merritt’s Zumbatomic class, offered for kids ages 4 to 12. “Zumba Fitness created the Zumbatomic program for kids after watching adults let loose, have fun and get in shape with the Zumba program,” Merritt said. Kids danced and laughed as they followed Merritt through each dance routine. During one song, the children formed a dance line and shimmied and stuck their tongues out and smiled the entire time. “Zumba is naturally kid-friendly. We …

In Focus is a weekly photographic exploration of a particular subject. This week, photographer Kate Awtrey spent some time photographing churches. After exploring Barrow County, I found more than 50 churches throughout the area, and some are only minutes from each other. Whether you are Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Catholic or non-denominational you can find a place to worship nearby. Here is a look at the beautiful architectures of beautiful places of worship in Barrow.

This week we took a look behind the scenes as Haymon-Morris Middle School presented The Wizard of Oz at the Winder Cultural Arts Center on Friday. Most people have seen a play, but not everyone has been in one. A lot of iPod-listening, book-reading and trying to stay quiet takes place behind the scenes. Actors keep a watchful ear to make sure they don't miss their mark, and the stage manager follows along with the script. Here's a look behind both sides of the curtain.

In Focus is a weekly photographic exploration of a particular subject. This week, photographer Kate Awtrey spent some time following the train tracks that run through Barrow County. Have you ever taken the time to follow a set of railroad tracks? In Barrow County you will find tracks running through Auburn, Carl, Winder and Statham. Sometimes while driving through one of these towns you might have to sit for a few minutes as a train passes. Typically, frustration is experienced as you sit and wait, but before you become aggravated just remember that without trains the towns in Barrow County …

In Focus is a weekly photographic exploration of a particular subject. This week, photographer Kate Awtrey spent a morning taking shots of local farms still seeing snow on the ground. Most of the businesses around Barrow were closed this week due to icy roads and inclement weather. While families stayed home and enjoyed movie marathons and hot chocolate, local farmers carried on business as usual. A farmer's day is never done. Even through rain, ice, sleet and snow, animals still need to be fed and milked, and work on the property has to be done.  Mail carries may not be able to always live …

In Focus is a weekly photographic exploration of a particular subject. This week, photographer Kate Awtrey spent a day with Fort Yargo State Park's manager. On Wednesday, Fort Yargo State Park Manager Eric Bentley escorted the Georgia Forestry Commission around the park premises. The purpose was to review a burn plan for the park. Every three to five years, Fort Yargo organizes a controlled burn in the winter. The woods become littered with dead leaves, sticks and pine needles. The leaf litter needs to be thinned out from the forest, and a burn reduces it. Without the controlled burn, the …

In Focus is a weekly photographic exploration of a particular subject. This week, photographer Kate Awtrey spent some time with a grill operator at the Winder Waffle House. You probably recognize James Mitchell's face even if you might not recognize his name. The Winder resident is a grill operator at the local Waffle House on East May Street. Mitchell has lived in the area and worked at the Winder eatery for six years, "but I've been with the company for about 20 years," he said. Waffle House workers pack the kitchen to grill up fresh orders all day long, with an audience of patrons who …