Editing Ball Ground, Georgia (section)

===Revitalization===
A television documentary aired in December 1971 on North Georgia's Channel 11 that focused on the city of Ball Ground and described it as a city in decline, and interviewed Ball Grounders about "the slow deterioration of the town."<ref name="ajc1971">{{Cite news |date=December 4, 1971 |title=What is Happening to Ball Ground? |pages=T-2 |work=[[The Atlanta Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109977744/what-is-happening-to-ball-ground/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051910/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109977744/what-is-happening-to-ball-ground/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Two weeks after the broadcast of the documentary, the city's merchants announced that they had organized the Ball Ground Merchants Association to promote trade and to function as a Chamber of Commerce for the city.<ref name="pcp1971">{{Cite news |date=December 16, 1971 |title=Ball Ground merchants have organized a Merchants Association |pages=2 |work=Pickens County Progress |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109978362/ball-ground-merchants-association/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051909/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109978362/ball-ground-merchants-association/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

The Ball Ground Community Association was formed in early 1972 to promote the town and to organize festivals and cultural events.<ref name="pcp_oct1972">{{Cite news |date=October 12, 1972 |title=Fall Fling A Success in Ball Ground |pages=1 |work=Pickens County Progress |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109977801/ball-ground-fall-fling/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051909/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109977801/ball-ground-fall-fling/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022}}</ref> The first event the association organized was the May 1972 spring festival and parade, which included a delegation from the Cherokee Nation. This marked the first time the Cherokee returned to the area in any official capacity since they were removed from the area during the 1830s.<ref name="pcp_may1972">{{Cite news |date=March 16, 1972 |title=Ball Ground Plans Spring Festival |pages=1 |work=Pickens County Progress |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109978010/cherokee-return-to-ball-ground/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051909/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109978010/cherokee-return-to-ball-ground/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> As part of the festival, two Cherokee teams played a game of stickball against one another, and then-Lieutenant Governor [[Lester Maddox]] served as the parade's [[Parade#Parade grand marshals|grand marshal]].<ref name="mn1972">{{Cite news |date=May 13, 1972 |title=Indian Stickball Part of Festival |pages=B-1 |work=The Macon News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109980599/stickball-part-of-festival/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051909/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109980599/stickball-part-of-festival/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Later that year in November 1972, in part because of the festival and other improvements to the city, Ball Ground won the "1972 Stay & See Georgia" contest, which was a program designed to help highlight and expand tourism within the State of Georgia.<ref name="pcp_nov1972">{{Cite news |date=November 23, 1972 |title=Ball Ground Wins Stay & See Contest |pages=1 |work=Pickens County Progress |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109978187/ball-ground-wins-stay-see-contest/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109978187/ball-ground-wins-stay-see-contest/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The spring festival was held annually until 1989.<ref name="ajc1989">{{Cite news |date=May 11, 1989 |title=19th Annual Spring Festival |pages=F-10 |work=[[The Atlanta Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109987202/ball-ground-19th-annual-spring-festival/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109987202/ball-ground-19th-annual-spring-festival/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

In 1997 developers began building new homes and communities within Ball Ground.<ref name="brice">{{Cite news |last=Brice |first=Leslie Everton |date=October 9, 1997 |title=Cherokee community gains ground |pages=IQ-10 |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019028/ball-ground-development/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019028/ball-ground-development/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Because of the growth of the city, residents and city officials began discussing the need for an improved sewer system to help modernize the septic systems of older homes and to attract new growth for the city.<ref name="bennett_feb1998">{{Cite news |last=Bennett |first=D.L. |date=February 19, 1998 |title=Ball Ground considers adding sewage service |pages=IQ-4 |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019275/ball-ground-considers-sewage-service/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051945/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019275/ball-ground-considers-sewage-service/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

In 1998 a plan was put in place to begin work on a $2.8 million sewage system.<ref name="bennett_dec1998">{{Cite news |last=Bennett |first=D.L. |date=December 24, 1998 |title=Sewage system set for Ball Ground |pages=IQ-4 |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019406/1998-sewage-plans/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019406/1998-sewage-plans/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The sewage system was completed in Fall 2003 amid ongoing development in and around Ball Ground.<ref name="quinn_may2003">{{Cite news |last=Quinn |first=Christopher |date=May 22, 2003 |title='Diamond in rough' Ball Ground on a roll |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019648/diamond-1/ J1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019686/diamond-2/ J6] |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019648/diamond-1/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051944/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019648/diamond-1/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name="brice_march2003">{{Cite news |last=Brice |first=Leslie Everton |date=March 13, 2003 |title=Ball Ground boasts of vintage growth |pages=JQ-3 |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019970/vintage-growth/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923051944/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110019970/vintage-growth/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>