Tifton Fiddler on Mag Cover

June 10, 2016

Tifton, Georgia

(478) 227-7126

www.tiftongrapevine.com

JUST FIDDLIN' AROUND

TIFTON'S FRANK MALOY MAKES FIDDLER MAGAZINE COVER

One of Tifton's treasures, nationally renowned fiddler Frank Maloy, is on the cover of the current issue of Fiddler Magazine.

The cover story is entitled " The Wild and Wonderful World of Frank Maloy." The author, Paul Anastasio, is a musician who is a veteran of the bands of Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel, Larry Gatlin and Loretta Lynn.

Of Maloy, Anastasio writes: "Frank has been a musician and a composer for most of his 89 years -- wildly creative and possessed with an encyclopedic memory. Frank not only remembers innumerable gigs and recordings going back well before 1940, but he can also name many of the musicians who played the gigs and even specific tunes and keys."

Just shy of his 90th birthday, Maloy is still writing, transcribing and performing music regularly. In July, he will head to Washington state for the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, where he will perform and teach.

For years, he has been a fixture on local and regional stages. With his late brother Joe, Maloy organized the annual Old-Time Fiddlers' Jamboree at the former Georgia Agrirama, now the Georgia Museum of Agriculture, and still performs during its Folklife Festival.

Maloy has played music professionally since the 1940s (he and Joe were the Maloy Brothers). Beginning in the 1950s, Maloy spent a decade on TV and radio with Gene Stripling's band, "Uncle Ned and the Hayloft Jamboree."

After Stripling's death in 1960, Frank and brother Joe organized "The Swingmasters," a dance band. In the 1980s, the brothers migrated to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, playing "beach music" and '50s rock and roll. Subsequently returning to Georgia, they played swing, jazz, and popular music with the Dave Mercer Band for much of the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999, they reorganized The Swingmasters and continued playing the South Georgia dance circuit until Joe's death in 2005.

Among Frank Maloy's accolades are the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame's Hall of Honor award; the Education Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers; the "Ray Melton Music Man" Award; the regional "Songwriter of the Year" Award; the "Fiddlin' John Carson Award;" and the Governor's Award for Arts and Humanities, awarded by Gov. Nathan Deal at the state Capitol.

Besides the fiddle, Maloy has become proficient on guitar, mandolin, bass, saxophone and clarinet as well.

Fire Chief Michael Coleman, facing City Council, calls the names of those honored, who are standing at left.

RECOGNIZING LOCAL HEROES

TIFTON FIREFIGHTERS, EMS WORKERS, VOLUNTEERS

Commendation and lifesaving awards were presented to Tifton city public safety volunteers, Tift County EMS workers and the Tifton Fire Department's C shift at Monday's Tifton City Council meeting.

Commendation Awards were presented to Walter "Dawg" Burgess, Capt. Chuck Cayton, Lt. Jackson Drawdy, Lt. Allen Peugh, Lt. Paul Boyd and firefighter Henry Taylor.

Lifesaving Awards were presented to Capt. Bobby Bennett, Engineer John Domagala, firefighter Eric Betts, firefighter Drew Berger and firefighter Austin Tucker.

The firefighters and public safety personnel were recognized for pulling a woman from a burning structure several months ago.

All honorees were given a standing ovation by City Council and the audience at City Hall.

YOUNG LIFE NAMES NEW

TIFTON DIRECTOR

Young Life, a non-denominational worldwide Christian ministry for middle, high school and college students, welcomes Trey Walker as the new Young Life area director in Tifton.

Walker comes to Tifton with more than 14 years of Young Life experience. In high school, he participated in Young Life, became middle school Wyldlife Leader, volunteered and most recently came on staff with Young Life.

He was the first Young Life leader at Lowndes High School in Valdosta and went on to assist with the College Life program at Valdosta State University.

A native of Lawrenceville, Walker comes to Tifton with his wife Aubri.

Young Life is mainly a volunteer-led organization. Through weekly meetings called "club," small groups, summer camps, weekend excursions and one-on-one time with kids, Young Life leaders build relationships with teenagers while modeling God's love.

Young Life was founded in 1941 and is active in more than 90 countries.

"Best-Selling Truck for 39 Straight Years"

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FAMILY PROMISE MEETS MONDAY

Family Promise of Tift Area, "A Faith-Based Approach to Offering Caring Assistance to Homeless Families," meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 13, at Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church at 709 S. Ridge Ave., Tifton.

The community is invited to attend. Meetings last about an hour.

WIREGRASS BIKE TO FARM TOUR SET JUNE 18 IN TIFTON

The Fourth annual Wiregrass Bike to Farm Tour is scheduled for Saturday, June 18, in Tifton .

Participants will visit six sites within seven miles in this family-friendly half-day event.

The event is reasonably priced with an early registration discount . Online registration and information is available at Active.com

TIFTUF BERMUDAGRASS GETS NOTICED


	VIDEO: Dr. Brian Schwartz explains TifTuf bermudagrass.

As the Tifton Grapevine has previously reported, TifTuf, a new standard in drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant bermudagrass, has been developed by turfgrass breeders at the University of Georgia's Tifton campus.

Since its release earlier this year, the new bermudagrass variety is attracting a lot of attention including from the U.S. Golf Association, which is raving about the TifTuf Bermudagrass variety.

The grass has been in development by Dr. Wayne Hanna in Tifton since 1992 and received rigorous scientific testing by Dr. Brian Schwartz, the new turfgrass breeder at UGA Tifton.

Field testing was conducted in Georgia and across the South, including Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina and Florida.

KEEP TIFT BEAUTIFUL ... AND RECYCLE

The Keep Tift Beautiful board is encouraging everyone to use curbside recycling.

Keep Tift Beautiful is a city/county citizen advisory board working to preserve and improve the quality of life in the Tifton area through litter clean-ups, recycling, community gardening and beautification projects.
The group is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Georgia Beautiful, focusing efforts in thre e main areas: litter reduction, beautification and recycling.

"We encourage the community to take pride in their part of helping to keep Tifton and Tift County a clean, healthy, and beautiful place to live," the board says. "We strive to educate the community about the importance of recycling and the benefits of living in a litter-free area.

ABAC OFFERING NURSING INFO

Two information sessions on associate's and bachelor's degrees in nursing at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will be held in the ABAC Health Sciences building from 4-5 p.m. June 14 and 8-9 a.m. July 12.

New students, transfer students and practicing nurses, respiratory therapists and paramedics are encouraged to attend one of the sessions.

"The sessions are a great time to meet faculty and get your questions answered as you prepare to begin your nursing education," says Becky Arnold, associate professor of nursing. " Nursing faculty will be available to discuss our nursing degrees in both group and one-on-one settings."

Campus representatives from admissions and financial aid will also assist students and answer questions.

Arnold said prospective students will get a behind-the-scenes look at ABAC's modern nursing education facility including the high-tech patient simulation laboratory. In addition to the basic nursing program, ABAC now offers an RN/BSN completion program and an accelerated, one day per week bridge track for LPNs, respiratory therapists and paramedics.

An associate degree earned at ABAC prepares students to take the Registered Nurse (RN) licensure examination.

For information, call 229-391-5020. Fall term classes begin at ABAC on Aug. 10.

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YOUR WEEKEND

...at a Glance

FRIDAY, JUNE 10

77th Annual Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m, Tift County High Performing Arts Center, Tifton

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

Downtown Tifton Farmer's Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Old Train Depot Platform, Tifton
Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Georgia Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
Community Health & Wellness Expo, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Beulah Hill Family Life Center, Tifton Eldorado Road, Tifton
77th Annual Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m., Tift County High Performing Arts Center, Tifton