WHERE THE GRASS IS GREENER
TIFTON TURFGRASS FIELDS ARE TOPS IN NFL RANKINGS
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
Turfgrasses developed through the years in Tifton are renowned for their quality and durability, and have been used on golf courses, football and soccer fields all over the world. Tifton turfgrasses are receiving more attention and validation as Sports Illustrated (SI) magazine recently ranked the best stadium fields in the National Football League.
In the
SI rankings, fields using
Tifway 419
Bermuda grass
ranked
No. 1, 2 and 3
-- and football fields with Tifton-developed grass also had
two other rankings
in the
top 10
.
SI says it used information from the Sports Turf Managers Association, past NFL
player rankings, insight from current players and details from groundskeepers to better understand the fields and formulate the rankings.
Tifway 419 has been the standard for golf course tees, fairways and roughs throughout the southern United States for decades before being used on football fields. In fact, the name Tifway comes from a combination of
Tifton and fairway.
Tifway 419 was developed by Dr.
Glenn W. Burton at the
Coastal Plains Experiment Station and released in
1960.
Because it has a fast recovery rate from wear and traffic,
Tifway 419 Bermuda grass also began being used on football fields in many warm-weather locales.
And what field does
Sports Illustrated consider the
best in the
NFL? The
Arizona Cardinal's University of Phoenix Stadium. "
Arizona has plenty of sunshine and can grow a healthy amount of Tifway 419 Bermuda grass," SI said, and the "groundskeeping staff is doing a stellar job with the turf."
Ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively, are the
Tampa Bay Buccaneer's
Raymond James Stadium, and the Miami Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium, both using Tifway 419. "There are not many NFL fields on the east side of the country that are nicer than the Tifway 419 Bermuda grass that covers Raymond James Stadium in Tampa," SI said.
The Tifway grass at the Jaguars' EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., was ranked sixth.
Coming in at 10th is the Tennessee Titans' field in Nashville, which uses TifSport Bermuda grass.
By the way, Tifway 419 is also used at UGA's Sanford Stadium in Athens, considered one of the best-looking fields in college football's Southeastern Conference.
|
By BRETT FOUNTAIN
For the Tifton Grapevine
The
Sunbelt Agricultural Expo marked its
38th year this week at
Moultrie's Spence Field, housing more than
1,200 exhibits and promoting the latest technology and innovations in the
agricultural industry.
|
|
|
Dr. Lelia Kelly at Mississippi's spotlight building.
|
Tens of thousands of visitors came from surrounding Southeast states to witness more than
300 interactive seminars and
educational exhibits. Some of the new demos introduced at the expo were test-drivable new trucks by Chevy/GMC, Ram Commercial and Ford.
The Sunbelt Ag Expo hosted
Mississippi as
2015's Spotlight State, showcasing its theme "Sweeter in Mississippi," highlighting that state's horticulture products from farmers markets. Dr.
Lelia Kelly, a specialist in consumer horticulture at
Mississippi State University, said the expo's spotlight state was privileged to be set up in a reserved building where Mississippi's agricultural products were displayed.
This year's expo also witnessed the grand reopening of
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's new exhibit building.
Cindy Barber, ABAC's digital media services director, said the college had been doing the same thing each year and decided to do something different that would attract students.
"We get a lot of
FFA (Future Farmers of America) students through, and we really wanted to touch them and get them into the building to talk to them about our
agriculture program," she said.
Of the many renovations to the new building, some of the biggest were the installation of an information desk shaped like a horseshoe in the center of the building.
|
|
|
TIFT COUNTIANS ASKED TO 'LIGHT UP' CHILDRENS' WORLD
"Go Light Up Your World," a community-wide
luminary event, has been created in hopes that luminaries will be lit all over
Tift County at
7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, to show unity for keeping local children
safe and out of
gang  activities.
The
Tift County Commission on Children & Youth's Gang Prevention Council says its "vision is that luminaries will be lit all over the county at the same time with the same mission of
working together for the
best interest of our
children. We envision that anywhere you go in
Tift County, you will see the
light and recognize how unified we are as a community in our effort to ensure that children have a
safe and caring environment."
The organization is asking local
faith-based groups to provide programs for youths that night to encourage their involvement in positive activities.
|
TCHS STUDENTS NAVIGATE TEEN MAZE
Students at Tift County High School's Northeast Campus participated in the Annual Teen Maze this past week. Students learn about the dangers of underage drinking, pregnancy and diseases and how they will affect their entire lives.
Students had an opportunity to go through the maze, facing the consequences of their dating choices (which were selected randomly for each student). Some avoided the pitfalls of alcohol and sexual activity, travelling straight through the maze to a graduation celebration. For the rest, though, serious consequences led to detours and dead ends.
|
 
|
|
SALVATION ARMY MARKS 125th IN GA
Gov.
Nathan Deal has proclaimed this week as
Salvation Army Week in
Georgia in recognition of the
125th anniversary of the
Salvation Army in Georgia.
"They probably represent the best return on a
charitable contribution of any organization I can think of. For those who are the contributors, they can be assured that they are getting a great return on their investment ... that their
 contributions to the Salvation Army actually do the most good,"
Deal said.
In
1890, 26 years after an army burned, besieged and pillaged Atlanta, leaving nothing but flaming ruins in its wake, another army besieged
Atlanta. However, the weapons of the Salvation Army were not swords and muskets, but the
Sword of the Spirit and the
Word of God.
The Salvation Army's
Georgia Divisional Commander, Maj.
Charles Powell said, "For 125 years, the Salvation Army red shield in
Georgia has been the symbol of commitment
 to helping people in crisis. Wherever people suffer from hunger, poverty, hopelessness or injustice, the
Salvation Army is there to help, always without discrimination."
Today in
Georgia, there are
26 Salvation Army Corps Community Centers,
25 Service Units and
15 Service Centers (including one in
Tifton) that provide services in areas throughout the state,
35 Family Stores,
two Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers,
four Alcohol and Drug Recovery Centers,
three Boys and Girls Clubs,
19 emergency shelters, a state-wide disaster response program, and numerous other programs and services.
Last year in
Georgia, the
Salvation Army provided more than
700,000 meals, more than
300,000 nights of lodging, and
200,000 toys for those in need. In addition, more than
1,700 boys and girls were provided a summer camp experience at the Salvation Army's Camp Grandview in
Jasper.
The Tifton Service Center may be reached at 229-386-1503.
|
LITERACY VOLUNTEERS TO HOLD TUTOR TRAINING ORIENTATION OCT. 30
Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County has scheduled a volunteer tutor orientation for those wishing to learn more about tutoring opportunities in
Tift County. This first meeting will be held
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
The location will be shared with those who call
229-391-2527 or email
[email protected] for information, according to
Bonnie Sayles, LVTTC executive director.
Sayles said this meeting will be the first in a series of training sessions and informal meetings for those interested in
 helping Tift Countians improve their reading skills or prepare for taking the
GED test.
Featured speaker
Mattie Grant of
Sumner is the supervising instructor of adult education for
Southern Regional Technical College in
Thomasville. She has more than 30 years of experience in literacy programs. She was a certified master trainer with
Literacy Volunteers of America, which merged with
Laubach Literacy International in 2002 to form
ProLiteracy.
Earlier this month,
Sayles attended the biannual
international conference of ProLiteracy and gathered information on tutor recruitment and training and GED preparation.
"People may not realize that 75 percent of all unemployed adults have reading or writing difficulties," Sayles said. "Also, according to the AMA, individuals with low health literacy incur medical expenses up to four times greater than patients with adequate literacy skills.
"
Children's literacy levels are strongly linked to the educational levels of their parents," Sayles said. "Adults with lower literacy skills are less likely to read to their children. Children with underdeveloped literacy when they enter school are three to four times more likely to drop out. Parents who improve their education have children who are more likely to stay in school."
Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County also sponsors English language classes at
Our Divine Savior Catholic Church on
Monday and
Wednesday evenings. "Removing language barriers can reduce time per task by 30 percent," Sayles said. "Just increasing the educational level of workers in an establishment by one year is associated with an 11 percent increase in output.
"Please support literacy programs in your workplace, church, civic group or neighborhood.
Volunteer your time and talents. Encourage those who want to be students. Everyone can make a difference."
|
 |
|
BALDWIN PLAYERS TO PRESENT
'SKIN OF OUR TEETH'
On Halloween weekend, the Baldwin Players at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will present their fall  production of "The Skin of Our Teeth" by Thornton Wilder. The performances are Oct. 29-31 at 7 p.m. each night in Howard Auditorium on the ABAC campus.
Admission is free to all ABAC faculty, staff and students; there is an admission fee for the general public.
Wilder, an American playwright and novelist, won three Pulitzer Prizes during his career, including In 1942 for "The Skin of Our Teeth,"
a comedy that takes a look at just what it means to be human. Mankind has spent all of history surviving climate change, natural disasters and wars. In this epic about the Antrobus family that spans all of human history from the Ice Age to the not-so-distant future, Wilder gets audiences to laugh at humanity's strengths and weaknesses.
For information, contact Dr. Brian Ray, Baldwin Players director, at
[email protected]
|
|
We're excited! And we want you to join us for an evening of great entertainment; great food;
and the best of fell
owship.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Foundation North
presents its
30th Annual Meeting and Banquet
Tuesday, November 10, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. in the Charles Harris Learning Center
on Wiregrass Georgia Tech's Ben Hill-Irwin Campus, 667 Perry House Road in Fitzgerald.
There will be a delicious prime rib dinner with all the trimmings. Your entertainment will be the GiGi's.
Take a journey through the decades with this incredible trio of bombshell female vocalists.
Singing classics from The Shirelles, Ronettes, The Supremes, The Angels, The Chiffons, The Bangles, and more, this group will have your toes tapping, your hands clapping, and memories flooding in.
Tickets are only $50 each ($25 is tax deductible).
We promise you an evening to remember.
Please respond immediately because tickets are going fast! Space is very limited.
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on November 10.
For Tickets and Information, contact
Mona Paulk
Executive Director of Institutional Advancement
Ben Hill-Irwin Campus
Office: 229.468.2102
A Unit of the Technical College System of Georgia
|
PREGNANCY CARE CENTER COLOR RUN IS SATURDAY
The Pregnancy Care Center is holding its 2nd Annual Color Me Baby 5K/1M color fun run on Saturday, Oct. 24,beginning
at Northside Baptist Church's south parking lot. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The
one-mile fun run begins at 10 a.m., and the 5k color run starts at 10:30 a.m.
Come prepared to be showered in biodegradable non-toxic powdered color at three different color stations during the run.
|
PEAVY JOINS LIBRARY FOUNDATION BOARD
Dr. Hal Henderson, at left, chairman of the Tifton-Tift County Public Library Foundation, welcomes Darian Peavy to the foundation board. Peavy is CEO of the Tiftarea YMCA.
The Library Foundation supports programs and purchases materials for the public library on Love Avenue.
|
THE MERRITT PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER
was formally dedicated Tuesday, Oct. 20, in Tifton for a
fallen officer. The new 911 center is dedicated to the memory of
Capt. Raymond B. Merritt Sr., who was with the Tift County Sheriff's Office when he was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call on June 8, 1991. Merritt's family was in attendance for the center's dedication. "When I heard about it, I couldn't believe it," said the late officer's wife, Sue Merritt. ... GUN SAFETY was the subject of a recent course held for Tifton city employees. Several women
took advantage of the opportunity to learn about gun safety and protection.Tifton Sgt. Jared York, Sgt. Ferron Yi, Officer Amanda Fairclot, and Chief Buddy Dowdy conducted the training. With its success,
the police department has scheduled other sessions for Nov. 12 and 14. ... COUNTRY STAR JOHN BERRY, a former Tift County resident, is winding up his annual Christmas concert show "back home" at 7 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts in Downtown Tifton. Berry's
Christmas Tour has been captivating audiences since 1996. As Berry has grown in his walk with Christ, his calling has been to share God's love with his audience.
|
FIRST TUESDAY CONCERT: 'PITCHES IN STILETTOS'
Pitches in Stilettos will highlight
"A Night of Woodwinds" at the
First Tuesday Concert Series at
7 p.m. Nov. 3 in the
Chapel of All
Faiths
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
. The concert is free.
The
First Tuesday series, now in its
15th year, features regional professional artists on the first Tuesdays of five months during the year. Dr.
Susan Roe, director of Music for the School of Liberal Arts, is the First Tuesday program director.
Sara Eastwood and Dr.
Anastasia Christofakis make up the
Pitches in Stilettos clarinet duo, based in
Tallahassee,
Fla. The twosome formed the clarinet ensemble at
Florida State University. They have devoted their time to promoting awareness of women in the field of music by performing pieces solely from female composers.
Through their performances, Eastwood and Christofakis hope to encourage and inspire women in all art forms to step out and showcase their talents. Pitches in Stilettos celebrates the music of the
21st century by actively promoting and commissioning the works of living composers.
|
We have a simple mission: to give special needs children and their families a community where they feel included, respected and valued. We want to help find resources that are available to them and support them in the challenges they face. We want to give them opportunities to socialize with their peers and build friendships by sponsoring events that are catered to them. We believe this is obtained by involving special needs children and their families in community activities and forming friendships that offer support.
|
AG MUSEUM HOLDING TRICK-OR-TREAT
IN HISTORIC VILLAGE
The Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is holding  two costume contests and trick-or-treating on Oct. 31. There is an admission fee.
Trick-or-Treat in the Village will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Halloween. Costume contests are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the porch of the Historic Village Drug Store.
Activities include face painting, apple bobbing, hay and train rides, creepy crawlies from Chehaw Wild Animal Park and food vendors.
The pumpkin patch will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The pumpkin patch is located at the Country Store near the entrance to the Museum. Admission is not required to visit the pumpkin patch.
|
|
SENIOR CENTER HOSTING SMART DRIVER CLASS
Tifton's Leroy Rogers Senior Center is hosting an AARP Smart Driver Program for those age 50 and over from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
on
Saturday, Nov. 7, at the senior center's temporary location, 508 South Main St. (The Tifton Welcome Center building.) 
This is a refresher course that provides up-to-d
ate information about changes over time in ourselves, our vehicles and our roads.
This course will help boost safety awareness, minimize crash risk, increase confidence and prolong senior mobility.
Participants may earn up to a 20 percent discount on their auto insurance.
Cost is $20, with a $5.00 discount for AARP members with card.
For reservations, contact JB or Bob at 229-388-8352 or [email protected]
|
|
Wonder What's Going On
in the Tiftarea?
Then Subscribe
to
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tifton, Georgia
It's Free!
|
|
YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, OCT. 23
- Elk's Lodge Alzheimer's Benefit Dinner Dance, 6 p.m., Elk's Lodge, Tifton
- "Haunted Theatre: Whitham State Hospital," 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton
- Tiftarea Academy Panthers vs. Southland Academy Raiders, 7:30 p.m., Americus
SATURDAY, OCT. 24
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Downtown Tifton Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Old Train Platform, Tifton
- Color Me Baby fun run, 10 a.m., Northside Baptist Church, Tifton
- Fall Festival, 2 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tift
- Forktoberfest, 3 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Tifton
- "Haunted Theatre: Whitham State Hospital," 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton
- Flashlight Maze, 7-10 p.m., The Market at Rutland Farms, 5641 Union Road, Tifton
|
OCT. 16
Melvin Wylie Bryan, 73, Chula
Bobby Leon Brown, 83, Sumner
Anthony "Tony" Erich Tramutola, 62, Fitzgerald
Charles Eugene Fussell, 79, Lizella
OCT. 17
Mike W. Elmore, 64, Sylvester
Monzelle DeMott Shiflett, 98, Adel
Mary Julia Baker Coleman, 83, Tifton
Nettie Newell Sharkshnas, 82, Fitzgerald
Carolyn "Sissy" Spires, 46, Ft. Pierce, Fla.
OCT. 18
Patricia "Pat" Mims Crutchfield, 76, Tifton
Virginia Wilkerson, 93, Nashville
Edna Yancey Arthur, 90, Fitzgerald
OCT. 19
Gloria Joan Davis Powell, 83, Decatur
Archie Dennis "A.D." White, 81, Enigma
Mary Rhunelle "Nell" Shiver Averett, 88, Sylvester
Linda Barnes Gore, 69, Adel
Everett "Ebb" Garner, 85, Ashburn
OCT. 20
Murry Eugene Walden, 61, Tifton
Bettie Jean Ward Tyson, 72, Adel
OCT. 21
Patrick William "Pat" Kelly, 85, Omega
Gianna Lopez, infant, Fitzgerald
Doyle Hitson, 58, Ashburn
OCT. 22
Melvina McElroy Saylor, 86, Sumner
|
SERVING YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
$1,790,475
|
Relax and enjoy 218.73 acres surrounded by nothing but nature. This land includes a pecan grove, and plenty of farmland for cattle, horses -- anything your heart desires! Great pastures, partially wooded with small creeks and streams. This property includes a 24x30 metal barn/workshop, and the beautiful three-bedroom/three-bath home located on the corner of Upper Ty Ty and Tifton-Worth County Line Road completes this farm. Watch the fireflies from your screened-in back porch in the summertime, or gaze at the stars without all the city lights! A must see! Do not let this one get away!
|
 |
|
Dwana Coleman
|
Call Us Today!
229-386-4222
Blue Skies & Sunshine Through Each & Every
Real Estate Transaction!
|
|
|
|
|
