Pence visits NW Georgia

♦ The VP didn’t make any public appearances in Floyd County, but his presence caused quite a stir.

Vice President Mike Pence traveled through Northwest Georgia and into Floyd County Friday while making stops, but made no official public appearance before departing from Richard B. Russell Regional Airport around 4:15 p.m.

The Georgia State Patrol briefly blocked exits along I-75 as Pence made his way towards Adairsville and to Barnsley Gardens, where he reportedly left around 3:30 p.m. after speaking to TENEO, a global CEO advisory firm.

He landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base on Friday morning before traveling to deliver remarks at Erick Erickson’s conservative conference at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead.

Others speaking at the conference, called the Resurgent Gathering, included Gov. Brian Kemp, Sen. David Perdue, R-georgia, and former U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, R-roswell.

The public and credentialed media were not invited to the event in Floyd County or at the airport.

Members of the public did, however, turn out to Richard B. Russell Regional Airport where they watched and waited for the vice president to turn up. Deann Richardson

and her family arrived at the airport as soon as she saw the Boeing C-32 land at around 12:30 p.m. The family settled in to wait on Pence, who didn’t show up until after 4 p.m.

Joe Finger had also been waiting around the airport Friday morning.

Finger said seeing the vice president was a once-in-alifetime thing, and had been at the airfield since 11 a.m. to see Pence off.

Thomas Hartwell, Times Journal Vice President Mike Pence gives a thumbs up shortly after Air Force Two landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Cobb County.

John Popham Air Force Two parked at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport on Friday afternoon awaiting Vice President Mike Pence. The VP stopped by Barnsley Gardens for a short visit before departing Georgia from the local airport.

John Popham Ballard and Harrison Ponder look out of the window at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport at the plane that carried Vice President Mike Pence from Rome back to Washington, D.C., after a private event at Barnsley Gardens & Resort on Friday. Left: Traffic was halted as a precautionary measure along U.S. 27 through Armuchee during preparations for the takeoff of Air Force Two on Friday afternoon.

Ross Rogers