478-227-7126
MAY 19, 2017
Tifton, Georgia
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TOURISM MEANS
$97 MILLION TO TIFT
TIFTON CALLED 'CROSSROADS OF SOUTH GEORGIA'
Tourism generates more than
$97 million in annual
visitor spending in
Tift County and supports
889 jobs here, the
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce was told
Thursday.
Tift County sees $2.8 million in local tax revenues; each Tift household would need to be taxed an additional $473 a year
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PEACOCK
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to replace taxes generated by tourism, said
Amanda Peacock, the state Department of Economic Development's tourism project manager for the "Plantation Trace" region in Southwest Georgia.
Peacock was one of several speakers at the Chamber's
membership meeting focusing on local tourism.
Tyron Spearman, this year's Chamber chairman and Tifton-Tift County's tourism director, said there are
1,100 hotel-motel rooms in Tift County and more than
100 restaurants.
He said
100,000 people come through
Tifton every day on major highways. "We are the
Crossroads of  South Georgia,"
Spearman said.
Dr.
Joe West, head of the
University of Georgia's Tifton campus, talked about his campus' 129,000-square-foot
conference center with its 2,000-seat and 300-seat auditoriums.
"Tifton is very fortunate" to have such a facility, West said, which hosts hundreds of meetings, conferences and concerts. Last year, the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center hosted
51,000 people and was responsible for
4,000 overnight hotel stays, West said. The conference center's annual economic impact is
$5.3 million, which West said is a conservative estimate.
Tift County Recreation Director
Craig Sowell told the Chamber that youth recreation programs have an annual economic impact of more than
$3.4 million, including district and state swim meets. The recreation department also hosts numerous baseball and soccer tournaments. Sowell said just the sale of
soccer cleats locally generates more than
$7,000 in the
Tifton economy.
The
Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village, part of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (
ABAC), had more than
40,000 visitors last year, said its director
Garrett Boone. An additional
5,000 children came through the facility as part of an expanded
youth agricultural program funded through
$250,000 from the
Harley Langdale Jr. Foundation. The museum also employs
39 ABAC students.
Tifton Mayor
Julie Smith spoke briefly about Tifton's
Outreach Marketing Group, which developed such events as the
Rhythm & Ribs Festival; and
Angela Elder of the Tifton tourism office mentioned the national
Great Race coming through Tifton June 24, bringing
120 antique automobiles
downtown.
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TIFTON NATIVE
HAS
NEW FILM
CAITLIN CARMICHAEL'S 'A MERMAID'S TALE' RELEASED THIS WEEK
Tifton native
Caitlin Carmichael, 12, already a veteran of many films, TV shows and commercials, had her latest movie,
"A Mermaid's Tale," released
Tuesday.
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CARMICHAEL
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The young
actress also has a
Netflix movie expected to be out this summer,
"Wheelman," in which she stars alongside
Frank Grillo, who portrayed the character
Crossbones in Marvel's
"Captain America" movies.
"A Mermaid's Tale" is available at all major
retailers (Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc.),
digital platforms (iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay) and
VOD (OnDemand).
Carmichael plays
a
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| VIDEO: Click to see 'Mermaid' trailer |
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young girl who befriends a quirky teenage mermaid who's anything but mythical; their friendship could heal an age-old feud between humans and sea people.
The film also stars Jerry O'Connell, whose credits include "Jerry Maguire" and "Stand By Me," and Barry Bostwick, from TV's "Spin City," "Cougar Town" and such films as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
In an
interview e-published this week by the digital
Occhi Magazine, Carmichael said she just saw a screening of the Netflix film "Wheelman" with the cast and crew "and it is fabulous. 'Wheelman' is a high-impact, action thriller centered on Frank Grillo, who plays Wheelman and his struggle to do whatever it takes to protect his family. I play Wheelman's daughter, Katie."
Carmichael said her "role was unique and special to me because I got to play such a strong female heroine. I even got to learn to drive a 1982 Porsche 911 stick-shift for the movie."
The Tifton native is also in an upcoming feature film, "Life Itself," that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Annette Bening, Mandy Patinkin, Antonio Banderas and Olivia Wilde.
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JOHN TIBBETTS A FINALIST
FOR STATE TEACHER OF YEAR
John R. Tibbetts of
Tifton, the
Worth County School District Teacher of the Year, has been
chosen a Top 10 Finalist for Georgia's State Teacher of the Year.
"Thanks to all my wonderful colleagues at Worth County High School for making this possible," Tibbetts said. "Go Rams!"
The Georgia Teacher of the Year will be named within the next few weeks.
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CHAMBER HONORS STUDENTS OF YEAR
At Thursday's
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce monthly membership meeting, the 2017
Students of the Year were honored.
Brianna Thomas, center above, is a senior at
Tift County High School.
Josie Jones, center below, is a senior at
Tiftarea Academy. Both were joined by members of their family and staff from each school.
Kelly Daniell, the Chamber's vice chair for community development, presented each of the winners with a plaque sponsored by
Tift Regional Health Systems and a
$50 check from
First Community Bank.
Thursday's program was sponsored by
Wisham Jellies. The Chamber's membership meetings are held at
noon on the
third Thursday of each month at the
Georgia Museum of Agriculture's conference room.
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...WHERE FORDS AND LINCOLNS COST LESS!
511 West 7th Street
(229) 382-1300
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REDDICK SCHOOL PUPIL
TIFT'S SIXTH GRADE
READER OF YEAR
Jozef Abantao
was honored as the
Reader of the Year
for
J.T. Reddick School, Tift County Reader of the Year--Sixth Grade
and the
Tift County representativ
e for
Georgia Reader of the Year for Grades six
through
eight
at the Reader of the Year Ceremony held recently at Annie Belle Clark Primary School.
Jozef has won Georgia Reader of the Year for two consecutive years. He is pictured with, left, Assistant Principal Jennifer Howell and ELA teacher Kayla Germaine.
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Former UGA head football coach Vince Dooley and his wife
Barbara visited South Georgia this week to promote Coach Dooley's latest book.
In the photo, the Dooleys pose in Albany with Tifton native Beth English, center, who is executive director of Easter Seals Southern Georgia.
Dooley also made a stop in Tifton this week.
His new book,
"The Legion's Fighting Bulldog," details the Civil War correspondence of Lt. Col. William
Gaston Deloney, part of Cobb's Georgia Legion Cavalry, and his wife Rosa Deloney.
It is a glimpse of the struggles of life on the battlefield
and at home
. Dooley calls Deloney "the first Bulldog."
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ROTARY STUDENT FROM COLOMBIA
ENDS YEAR AT ABAC WITH 4.0 AVERAGE
In the photo above, Tifton Rotary member Jeff Gibbs stands with Angela Ramos-Santodomingo, the Tifton Rotary Club's representative in the Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP).
Ramos is from Colombia and had a 4.0 average during her year at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Gibbs is the club's GRSP chairman. Ramos thanked the club for the opportunity to spend a year in Tifton at ABAC and said she learned that "every step you take on the way leads you to a better thing."
In a recent Rotary program, she described her home country and said she felt like an ambassador for Colombia, to which she was not able to return for her entire year at ABAC. She said Colombia has the most complex jungle in the world, the most bird species and the world's second biggest Carnivale celebration after Brazil.
She mentioned that the river of five colors is one of the natural wonders for which Colombia is known. Ramos also said of Colombia that: A 52-year cvil war recently ended; the drug war ended in 1989 with the death of Pablo Escobar; Santa Marta is the oldest city in the Americas, established in 1525; and in 2017 the Lonely Planet travel website named Colombia the second-best place to visit in the world.
Coming to America was scary for her, she said. "Everything worth doing in life is on the other side of being afraid," she told Rotarians. "Be curious about the different; be uncomfortable; be afraid."
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EDUCATION FOUNDATION AWARDS SCIENCE GRANT
Seventh-grade life science teacher Beth Hobby at Eighth Street Middle School holds the $466 Incentive Grant she has received from the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence.
The grant is for a Science Olympiad competition team.
In the photo from left are Assistant Principals Dr. Michael Slaven and Amelia Gann. At right is Foundation board member and liaison Penny Peters.
The education foundation recently approved the awarding of $20,351 in Incentive Grants for projects in Tift County schools.
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SRTC STUDENTS COMPLETE MEDICAL COURSES
Eight students were recently recognized at a
medical assisting pinning ceremony at
Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC). The students completed one semester of
prerequisite coursework as well as multiple semesters of occupational coursework, including a series of clinical rotations at local medical offices.
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Pictured left to right: Allison Barfield, Sherry Whitfield, Apryl Folson, Corrina Jones, instructor Sherry Harrison, Danielle Griffin, Shonta Broadway, Deary Encina, and Dawn Bell.
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Apryl Folson of Tifton,
Allison Barfield of Thomasville, Sherry Whitfield of Ochlocknee, Corrina Jones of Cairo, Danielle Griffin of Moultrie, Shonta Broadway of Camilla, Deary Encina of Cairo, and Dawn Bell of Moultrie were recognized for completing the requirements of the medical assisting program.
"I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments of this group of graduates and know they will represent our college and community as leaders in their field as they progress in their careers," said Sherry Harrison, medical assisting program chair for SRTC.
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YOUR WEEKEND
.
..at a Glance
FRIDAY, MAY 19
- Indoor Yard Sale, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Leroy Rogers Senior Center, Tifton
- "SELF" Senior Dance, 6 p.m, Leroy Rogers Senior Center, Tifton
- Tiftarea YMCA Mother-Son Date Night, 6-9 p.m., TRMC Community Event Center, Tifton
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Sylvester Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, downtown train depot, Sylvester
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MAY 11
Ronnie Lee White, 53, Nashville
Kenota Wanard Snow, Sylvester
David Gaines, 71, Ben Hill County
Herbert Russell "Bussey" Coker, 84, Sycamore
Willie Pearl Ligon, Albany
Kenota Wanard Snow Sr., 36, Sylvester
MAY 12
Robert Keith "Butch" Payne, 62, Ty Ty
Robert Charles Patterson, 74, Tifton
James Edwin "Jimmy" Brown, 82, Irwin County
Command Sgt Maj. Paul D. Rosado, 84, Fitzgerald
MAY 13
Louis Perlis, 91, Cordele
Carla H. Moody, 50, Ocilla
Thedessia "Sis" Heys Dorminey, 80, Fitzgerald
Eva Nell West, 89, Irwinville
Diane Lee Peron Beard, 68, Ashburn
Oletha Harrell Brady, 57, Douglas
Jerry D. Shipman, 73, Cordele
MAY 14
Sandra "Jenell" Bush Doss, 74, Tifton
Bishop E.L. West, Ashburn
Frances Dale Evans, 70,
Lenox
MAY 15
John Allen Collins, Sylvester
MAY 16
Dorothy Imogene McDonald, 85, Sylvester
John B. "Benny" Rowell Jr., 70, Wilcox County
Riley Giddens, 59, Ashburn
Mary Nations, 80, Lizella
Jenelle Singletary Budd, 79, Broxton
Marjorie A. Schirack, 89, Abbeville
MAY 17
Joel Milton Copeland Sr., 83, Alapaha
Andrew B. Miller Jr., 88, Marietta, formerly of Worth County
Laura Carithers Whitehurst, Ashburn
Virginia Jackson, Ashburn
Talley Sutton, 70, Nashville
Robbie Dodd, 61, Adel
Ron Miller, 71, Quitman
MAY 18
Ronnie Hall, Sylvester
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SERVING
YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
7017 Conoly Way, Tifton, GA
MLS #
126720
JUST REDUCED! One-owner 4 BR, 2 BA home, 2,279 square feet, with oversized master bedroom, his & her sinks, and whirlpool tub.
Visit Us Online:
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Dwana Coleman
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Call us TODAY!
229-386-4222
Blue Skies &
Sunshine
Through
Each & Every
Real Estate
Transaction!
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FRANK SAYLES JR.
Editor & Publisher
A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
478-227-7126
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