GrapeNew



 
 June 24, 2016
           Tifton, Georgia

    (478) 227-7126



STATE CITES TIFTON EATERY'S DISH AS ONE OF '100 PLATES LOCALS LOVE'
THE LOCAL KITCHEN-BAR'S 'PEACH TOWN PORKCHOP 
WITH TOWN BRANCH BOURBON AND PEACH GLAZE'

Tifton's The Local Kitchen-Bar has been awarded a 2016-17 "100 Plates Locals Love" distinction by the Georgia Department of Economic Development's Tourism division.

The restaurant's " Peach Town Porkchop with Town Branch Bourbon and Peach Glaze" was awarded the  honor in  Georgia Tourism's second annual list of "100 Plates Locals Love" featured in the state's culinary guide, "Georgia Eats."

The free guide also includes 10 flavor tours, feature stories, exclusive recipes 
from local chefs and information on popular food festivals. The list can be found online  here.  The dishes were selected from nearly 600 nominations  and evaluated by a panel of judges.

"Georgia's cities, towns and back roads are filled with authentic restaurants and culinary specialties that visitors love to experience when they travel," says Kevin Langston, state deputy commissioner for tourism. "The list of '100 Plates Locals Love' is our way of providing visitors and locals with suggestions, the same way we would recommend restaurants to our family and friends."

The Local Kitchen-Bar is located on Main Street and sits in the center of downtown Tifton . The Local restaurant has become a staple in the Tifton community where freshness and unique dishes abound, says Lequrica Gaskins , economic development director for Tifton's Downtown Development Authority.

The Local's Executive Chef David Scarbrough leads the kitchen with a menu that features fresh, seasonal ingredients and the restaurant's signature menu items. His farm-to-table approach is evident in his use of local products that can be found at farmer's markets.

Tifton is in the Plantation Trace region. Other nearby restaurant dishes on the list this year include:
  • The Jonathan (a chicken, rice and white cheese dish) at La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, Ashburn;
  • Filet Mignon at Daphne's Lodge, Cordele;
  • Chicken Salad Plate at Sweet Georgia Baking Co., Americus.
  • Shrimp & Grits at Jonah's Fish and Grits, Thomasville;
  • Manchester Farms Quail at Liam's Restaurant, Thomasville;
  • Pulled Pork & Pimento Cheese Wontons at Steel Magnolias, Valdosta;
  • Memphis Nachos, The Bleu Cafe, Valdosta


WATERMELON DAYS
CORDELE CELEBRATES THIS WEEKEND

Cordele, the "Watermelon Capital of the World," is capping its month-long "Watermelon Days Festival" with big events this weekend.

The 67th annual festival has a Watermelon Gospel Sing tonight, June 24, at 7 p.m. at the Cordele Community Clubhouse. 

On Saturday, June 25, events get underway at 7:30 a.m. with the Watermelon Walk at the Perry G. Busbee Walking Track. The annual Watermelon Days Parade then starts at 9 a.m., as well as the Watermelon Horseshoe Tournament at Turner Park, and the Watermelon Car & Truck Display and Arts & Crafts Exhibit.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the festival's day-long activities begin with live entertainment at Crisp Regional Hospital Park at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street.

From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the 4-H Watermelon Slice Giveaway will be available; at 11:15 a.m. is the Watermelon Eating Contest; at 1 p.m., the Watermelon Chunking Contest; and at 2 p.m., the Sweet Melon and Adult Seed Spit.


'THEY'RE CREEPY AND THEY'RE KOOKY....'

They are "The Addams Family," and they have come alive this
weekend at the Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts on Main Street.

The c urtain rises at 7 p.m. today (Friday) and on Saturday night, and at 3 p.m Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens.

Among the cast members are Scarlett Eirish and Brian Ray or "Morticia" and "Gomez," as seen at right.



"Best-Selling Truck for 39 Straight Years"


511 West 7th Street
(229) 382-1300
Tifton Mayor Julie Smith presents a gift to Mayor El hadnj Taha Diane .

MAYOR FROM AFRICA VISITS TIFTON CITY HALL

A special visitor was in Tifton City Hall on Wednesday, June 22.

Mayor El hadnj Taha Diane, the youngest mayor ever elected in Kahi, which is in the Republic of Senegal, Africa, met with local elected officials.

The newly elected African mayor was interested in how American cities work and what ideas he could take home.

He met with Tifton Mayor Julie Smith, Tifton City Councilman Frank Sayles Jr., Tift County Commission Chairman Grady Thompson and County Commission Vice Chair Melissa Hughes.

Dr. Babacar Mboup, a Valdosta State University professor and Senegal native, acted as the interpreter. Mboup told the elected officials that he and the Kahi mayor found that Tifton really is "The Friendly City."



TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Edible Arrangements
 Tuesday, June 21
1909 Highway 82, Tifton
PEE WEE SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP BEGINS MONDAY AT TCHS

A Pee Wee Summer Basketball Camp will be held next week  for boys and girls going into pre-K through the fifth grade, says Coach Julie Conner.

The camp begins Monday, June 27, and  continues  Tuesday, June 28, and Thursday, June 30. The cost is $50 per camper

Participants may register at the door for the camp, to be held at Tift County High School.

Coach Conner said the camp will focus on teaching basketball fundamentals and basic skills. It is open to all area children entering Pre-K through fifth grade. 

For information, call Conner at  229-848-4400  or email her at  jconner@tiftschools.com

 

RUNNERS TO DO 'WATERMELON CRAWL'

The third annual Watermelon Crawl 5K and Fun Run will be July 9 on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Dr. Ray Smith, agriculture department head in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said  the event is a fundraiser to establish the Jerry Moore Memorial Scholarship . Once the endowment funds are in place, the scholarship will be awarded each year to a student majoring in agriculture.  
Moore was an ABAC alumnus who died in 2013 at the age of 46.

"The past two years of this fundraiser have been very successful, and we hope the endowment will be completed with this year's event," Smith said. "Then we can begin awarding the scholarship."

Open to anyone, individual runners may register for the Watermelon Crawl; ABAC faculty and staff may get a discounted registration fee. Registration is open at  www.thewatermeloncrawl.com

Registration begins at 7:15 a.m. on race day; the 5K starts at 8 a.m. Those not participating in the 5K may walk the 5K path or take part in the one-mile fun run, beginning at 9 a.m.

An early packet pickup, cookout and silent auction will be July 8 from 6-8 p.m.  The packet includes the runner's bib, shirt, and bag. All registered runners eat free, with others eating for $5.

For information on the Watermelon Crawl, visit  the web site  or contact Josie Smith at jsmith@abac.edu



MAYOR READS ALOUD 'CLARK THE SHARK' TO LOCAL CHILDREN

As part of the "Read Aloud" campaign to make Tifton the "Read Aloud Capital of the World," Mayor Julie B. Smith read to children Tuesday at the Summer Accelerated Reader (AR) Center located at the United Way of South Central Georgia.

"To stress the importance of reading, in particular, reading aloud, I'd like to issue a challenge to my friends on the City Council of the City of Omega, the City of Ty Ty, the City of Tifton and the Tift County Commission to each schedule a time to read aloud and to take the AR test for the school of their choice. Today, I used my point for Omega, and was proud to do so," Mayor Smith said.

Pictured behind Smith is Vice Mayor Wes Ehlers who, along with City Councilman Frank Sayles Jr., also read to the kids along with the mayor.

The Summer Reading Center, sponsored by the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays through July 14.
LOCAL WOMAN GETS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Anita L. Merrill of Tifton has been recognized by Continental Who's Who with the 2015-2016 Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award as a result of 40 years of excellence in medical technology. 

Merrill recently retired as chief medical technologist with the University of Georgia's Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory in Tifton.
MERRILL

She is a registered medical technologist with management experience. She helped develop the Clinical Pathology Department in the Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, a composite of departments Including hematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, endocrinology, as well as parasitology and cytology studies. 

Merrill is a member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, Veterinary Association of Clinical Pathologists, National Certification Association and the American Association of Clinical Chemistry with AACC Veterinary Section. She is a former member of the American Chemical Society, where she served in leadership positions. She coordinated National Chemistry Week hands-on demonstrations for grammar school students and high school chemistry student tours of Merck Pharmacology labs and Busch laboratories.  

An active member of Tifton Sigma XI Club for more than two decades, she was awarded the Outstanding Service to Research award in 1997. She received the Staff Appreciation Award from the UGA School Of Veterinary Medicine for her contributions in 2007. Anita has participated in many wildlife research projects and was a contributing editor in those studies.

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YOUR WEEKEND
                 ...at a Glance

FRIDAY, JUNE 24
  • "The Addams Family" musical comedy, 7 p.m, Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton
  • Watermelon Gospel Sing, Cordele Community Clubhouse, Cordele
SATURDAY, JUNE 25
  • Watermelon Walk, 7:30 a.m., Perry B. Busbee Walking Track, Cordele
  • Downtown Tifton Farmer's Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Old Train Depot Platform, Tifton
  • "County Fair Day" at Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Georgia Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
  • 67th Annual Watermelon Days Festival, 9 a.m., Crisp Regional Hospital Park, Cordele
  • "Precious Pearls" Cotillion Ball, 6 p.m., UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton
  • "The Addams Family" musical comedy, 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton
SUNDAY, JUNE 26
  • "The Addams Family" musical comedy, 3 p.m, Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton

In Memoriam
BowenDonaldson

JUNE 16
Leland H. "Buster" Lewis, 68, Irwin County
Larry Scott Nixon, 67, Leesburg

JUNE 17
Robert Charles Sadler, 64, Chula
Ralph Eugene Duckworth, 89, Leesburg
Catherine Allen Ogletree, 87, Macon
Oscar Clough Jr., 77, Adel
Alvah William "Al" Gaskins III, 65, Nashville
George H. Whatley, 71, Fitzgerald

JUNE 18
J.B. Stinchcomb, 53, Tifton
Leroy Higgs Hall, 93, Enigma

JUNE 19
Kay Mauldin Register, 61, Adel
Lilla Harper Fuller Boykin, 97, O cilla

JUNE 20
Jimmy Bullington, 52, Ashburn
Judy Raper, 60, Thomasville

JUNE 21
Sharon Walker, 69, Ty Ty
Mary Ann Walker Bailey, 86, Fitzgerald
Alice McSwain Youghn, 83, Ocilla
Randy Levi Gay, 31, Lakeland, Fla.

JUNE 22
Geraldine McGee Vernon, 69, Irwin County

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