Helen’s Untold Story

The city of Helen has long been a beacon of fun and whimsy in the North Georgia mountains. With its myriad shops of candy, spun glass, and German food, and the classical architecture of an Alpine Bavarian town, the thousands of tourists who visit Helen annually can’t help but wonder, How did this crazy little town come to be?

The answer lies in the memories of those who built it in the early seventies. In Helen’s Untold Story, Hue Rainey, one of the original players of Alpine Helen, takes readers on a journey of games, dreams, and balloon races—all created with love and ingenuity from

one of Helen’s founders, Peter Hodkinson III, or “Pete,” as he was known. With warmth and wit, Rainey recalls the early days of Helen and how one extraordinary man, Pete, weaved it all together. Consequently, Pete not only created the tourist mecca Helen is

today, but changed the lives of those involved forever.

Decades have passed since Pete first dreamed ways to develop the concept of Alpine Helen. Yet, through Rainey’s recollections, readers can glimpse the man who promoted this Alpine village in the heart of the North Georgia mountains, and in so doing, truly understand what Alpine Helen meant to those who created her.

“An entertaining read told by a true storyteller. Hue makes the history of the early days of Alpine Helen fun to read. You’ll wish you had been there.”

—Sharon Hartis

Charter Member and Leader, Faschingsverein

Helen, Georgia