A Community Care Day Resource Expo featuring free resources in the areas of health, fitness, safety, and disability information will be 9 a.m.-noon  Saturday, March 21, at the Tift County Recreation Department, beginning with a Bike Rodeo at 9 a.m.

"We have 62 vendors signed up!" exclaimed Beth Lewis, planning committee member, at Thursday's Chamber membership luncheon. "It is always inspiring to see a community pull together with caring efforts to support one another and meet the needs of others. We know it is often difficult for individuals and families to locate and access the resources they need, and this event is a tremendous opportunity to discover the resources available in our community."

The Community Care Day is sponsored by the Tift County Recreation Department, Tift Regional Medical Center, South Georgia Georgia Learning Resources System, Tift County Commission on Children and Youth and Tift County Board of Education. Visitors will have access to a variety of resources including health screenings, recreational and personal development programs, fitness, disability information, counseling, financial guidance, employment, education and Social Security. 

The Community Care Day Resource Expo will be an event the whole family can enjoy, Lewis said. "We will offer free food, a bike rodeo and safety demonstration, a bounce house and the Chick-fil-A cow. We encourage the community to bring the whole family to the event for a day of fun." 

For information, contact Craig Sowell at 229-382-3262 or by e-mail at [email protected]

By BILL WELLS

For the Tifton Grapevine

When I was five years old, almost six, my family took me out of Tifton, Ga., where I was born, to Fernandina Beach, Fla. This was in 1938.

I did not do any out-of-state traveling again until 1950, when I was accepted to be on the staff at Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly in North Carolina. Of course, we drove through South Carolina. In 1951, I moved to Charleston, S.C., to enter college, but lost most of my credits, so I moved back home and in 1952 joined the U.S. Navy.

While at Ridgecrest, I visited a friend in Bowling Green, Ky.

During my Navy time, I was in many states: San Diego, Calif., Chicago, Ill., and Newport, R.I., where I attended Naval Justice School. I married in 1956 and my wife was originally from Connecticut, so we drove there to visit her family. 

From Georgia, South Carolina; Virginia; Delaware; Maryland; King of Prussia, Pa.; Atlantic City, N.J.; New York City, N.Y.; to New Haven, Conn.  We later visited Brookline, Mass.; Plymouth, Vt.,;  Concord, N.H.; and Wells, Maine.

Being a member of several clubs, we attended conventions and visited Auburn, Ind., Dayton, Ohio; Nashville, Tenn.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Independence, Mo.; Austin, Texas; New Orleans, La.; Natchez, Miss.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Seattle, Wash.; Inner Passage of Alaska, (slept on cruise ship); Kihei, Maui, Hawaii; Wichita, Kan.; Kearney, Neb.; and Grand Rapids, Mich.

In 2008, I took a bus tour from Georgia to Pheonix, Ala.; Tennessee; Kentucky; Illinois; Missouri; Adair, Iowa; Keystone, S.D.; Gardiner, Mont.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; stepped into Idaho; Colorada Springs, Colo.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Little Rock, Ark.

States I have walked into or drove through are Arizona -- I walked across the Hoover Dam into Arizona -- and rode through Salt Lake City, Utah, on the Vista Dome train. I visited the Aztec Ruins in New Mexico, and a friend drove me to Williamson, W.Va., where we ate lunch.

In 2013, I flew to Minneapolis, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., and on March 14 -- this past week -- I flew to Portland, Ore., and slept in a hotel near the airport, completing my 50-state "bucket list!"

By the way, I have a shot glass from every state in the union.