G rowing up all her life in Baldwin County, Ruby Zachary has seen a lot of changes.

The latest makes her especially proud.

“Pride and happy, pride and happy, yes,” Ruby said. “It’s real nice. I have no words for it. It’s really special. I’m real proud.”

She’s talking about a new feature on a walking path at Collins P. Lee Community Center in Milledgeville.

A dozen storyboards now sporadically dot the sidewalk path—enticing families to enjoy the outside together while reading the children’s book, “Grayson’s Play Date,” written by Ruby’s son, Steve J. Zachary Jr.

It’s all part of Tale Trail, a newly installed, shared storybook project funded by the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy at Georgia College & State University.

Even more emotional for Ruby—the trail resides where her old elementary school used to be.

The Harrisburg Elementary School has long since been torn down. Only a small portion remains, housing the neighborhood’s Collins P. Lee Community Center in Milledgeville.

The area has drastically improved, thanks to devoted management by a vibrant civic group that cares strongly about the people living there. They hold food and clothing drives, free health screenings with Georgia College’s School of Nursing and maintain the community’s vegetable garden.

 

With Tale Trail, the community center is now also a place where families enjoy reading. The quarter-mile trail meanders through sun and shade passing a picnic pavilion, garden and rolling forest.

Each storyboard includes questions and activities to increase engagement and understanding. The first storyboard has a QR code for visitors to scan and hear a recording of the author reading his book out loud. Another QR code at the end pulls up a survey, so participants can share their thoughts.

A ribbon cutting was held in early April to officially open Tale Trail at the Collins Center. Members of the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce provided the ceremonial ribbon and scissors.

Former District 2 County Commissioner Tommy French was there to unveil a bench in honor of the late Deacon Joseph Ward Sr., who started the community garden. Ward’s wife, Gladys, and their son and daughter spoke in his memory.

The author was present, as well, with his son, Grayson, the book’s main character. Grayson just turned 8 years old.

 

“To me, the trail is for kids to not only be able to get out there and exercise their bodies but also to be able to exercise their minds,” Zachary said. “But they also push toward a goal. The goal is to make it to the end of the trail, read the book and give your perspective on the story by answering questions and doing the activities. This is major for the kids.”

Tale Trail is only the first of many literacy ventures to come for Baldwin County, according to Dr. Lindee Morgan, executive director of the Deal Center.

“Although the Deal Center is a statewide entity, we are part of Georgia College and part of this community,” Morgan said. “Every year, we want to do a few projects that contribute to the local community. The idea for Tale Trail is rooted in our mission to facilitate language and communication development and get children on the path to reading proficiently.”

“The more parents interact and talk with their children in those early years,” she said, “the better prepared they are going to be for formal reading instruction later on. As they read the pages on this trail, it gives families something to talk about.”

An impressive takeaway from the ribbon cutting is the number of university and community groups that came together to make Tale Trail possible.

The idea was originally Kimberly Scott’s. As administrative office manager for the Deal Center, she turned to co-worker and early language professional development specialist Jamie Thomas, who then shared the idea with Janet Cavin, who heads Georgia College’s Communities in Schools program.

Cavin suggested they contact Harrisburg residents at the Collins Center. They “enthusiastically accepted the idea and paved the way for what we’re celebrating today,” Morgan said. The group even suggested a few local authors.

That led to Zachary giving permission to use his book and for its pages to be enlarged by Georgia College’s Creative Services with vibrant colors.

To install storyboards, Thomas turned to Ashley Copeland, director of Community Engagement and Service at Georgia College. Copeland arranged for 15 members of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity to spend an afternoon digging 12-inch holes, quick-cementing posts into the ground and bolting Plexiglas® storyboards onto stands.

 

President and junior finance major Riley Kerstine of Marietta, Georgia, said his fraternity “loves to give back.” It’s important to be seen in the community doing acts of service, he said, because Baldwin County surrounds the university and, therefore, is a home away from home.

Freshman Jake Caren of Kennesaw, Georgia, is majoring in business management. As the fraternity’s community service chairman, he was happy their muscle work resulted in families reading and spending time together.

“We want to make a good impression and leave our footprint in the community, so they can remember us,” Caren said. “We love doing manual labor and building stuff, and it’s a wonderful day out. It’ll be nice for people to walk, stop and read about the story.”

 

The book follows Grayson, who’s off to meet a friend.

On his way, he has many adventures, doing good deeds for his neighbors. Written in 2017, the book has become part of a series on obedience, respect, charity and dignity.

Zachary has given hundreds of his books to schools in Tampa, Florida, where he now lives. A graduate of Baldwin County High School, he also donated 150 books to the Early Learning Center in Milledgeville.

He stopped to talk with a mother, Chandra Kilpatrick, who was on the trail reading the book to her four children. The author took her hand in his and promised the county hadn’t seen the last of him.

He intends to dedicate his time, more books and “love” to the community.

“It still hasn’t settled yet. I’m still in disbelief. What a great honor,” Zachary said. “At the end of the day, I’m blessed to be able to have ‘Grayson’s Play Date’ here and to show kids another way of learning, another way of caring for yourself and another way of respecting yourself.”

He credits his mother, Ruby, for setting him on the right path.

“Don’t just run around outside,” she’d tell him. “Come in and read a book.”

Now, Ruby will bring her two great-grandsons to the trail and read her son’s book to them.

This is the purpose of Tale Trail.

Passing the love of reading down from generation to generation.