There’s plenty of people to look up to in Polk County, but four stood out this year to show off talents aplenty from the local area. From masters of arcade games to tough runners on the gridiron, here are a *few* hometown heroes who made the news in 2024:
Polk’s Pinball Wizard
Dalton Ely – native of Rockmart – has a real talent for being one of the best hands on bumpers across the globe. Ely is a world champion-level pinball player, winning five tournaments over the calendar year and was ranked 28th by year’s end by the IFPA – that’s the International Flipper Pinball Association.
Olympic bronze for Brody
He was at his best back over the summer, bringing home a medal from Paris in a team win for the Men’s Gymnastics team. Brody Malone has many local connections across Northwest Georgia, and returned back to Polk County during the holidays to as Grand Marshal of the Rockmart Christmas Parade.
Chubb’s comeback
The batman returned to the field this season – but a little too late to make much of an impact for the Cleveland Browns. Nick Chubb spent over a year off the field after a major knee injury, but was back to still gain some yards and TDs before the season ended. He also was home a lot, and helping to welcome Tone Zone to Cedartown run by sister Neidra Chubb.
Protecting Polk
For generations, Polk County has been protected by a group of volunteers when fires break out, but now that protection includes some paid staff who started officially on the job for daytime firefighting in late March. The initial trio of Wayne Dunn, David Grindstaff, and Jeff Groom fill in a
needed gap in protection for county residents and are able to respond while volunteers are at work elsewhere.
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