Friday, Jan. 17, 2020
Tifton, Georgia
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LOCAL CELEBRATIONS INCLUDE SPEECHES, SERVICES, PARADES
TIFTON'S DAY OF OBSERVANCE; FITZGERALD'S WEEKEND
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Cities in the
Tiftarea
are planning activities to observe
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
on
Monday
;
Tifton
has a
full day of activities
planned while
Fitzgerald
has extended its King celebration to
all weekend
.
The annual
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast
in
Tifton
, sponsored by
PLIGHT (Proud Loving Individuals Giving a Hand to Teens)
will be at
8:30 a.m. Monday
at the
Tift County Recreation Department
.
Keynote speaker will be Dr.
I. Edward Mack
, pastor at
Unionville Missionary Baptist Church
in
Macon
. Tickets for the breakfast must be purchased in advance. For
information
, call
229-326-0241
.
The breakfast is followed at
10:45 a.m.
by the 13th annual
Tifton-Tift County Martin Luther King Jr. Ecumenical Commemorative Service
at
Greater Springfield Baptist Church
, 507 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in
Tifton
.
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The event, organized by
Ambrose King Jr.
, will include a
community choir
, a live painting by Tifton native
Jason “Jhigh” Hightower
, a medley by soprano
M. Tyler Foster
, singing by contemporary Christian artist
Precious Melton
;
Morehouse College
student preachers and others.
Traditionally
, the service is followed by a
march
to the
Tift County Courthouse
.
The
City of Fitzgerald
in
Ben Hill County
is
celebrating
the late civil rights leader throughout
this weekend
. Organized by the
Fitzgerald Community Club
,
MLK Weekend Celebration
events include a
Visual & Literary Youth Art Contest
at
4 p.m. Saturday
followed by a
Gospel Fest
at
5 p.m.
Both of Saturday's events will be at the
Monitor Recreation Center
in
Fitzgerald
.
At
3 p.m. Sunday
, there is a special MLK observance
church service
at
New Life Community Church Center
in
Fitzgerald
. The speaker will be
James Sirmans
, principal of
Fitzgerald High's College and Career Academy
.
On
Monday
, a
community luncheon
at
noon
followed by a
parade
at
3 p.m.
– both at the
Monitor Recreation Center
– concludes Fitzgerald's observance.
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Turner County High's new head football coach Kevious Johnson with his family.
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TURNER COUNTY NAMES
NEW FOOTBALL COACH
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Kevious Johnson
, a
Fitzgerald
native, has been named the
new head football coach
at
Turner County High School
in
Ashburn
.
Turner County High Athletic Director
Chris Wade
made the
announcement
this week. Wade said
Johnson
is
well-respected
and
highly recommended
.
Johnson
has been the
offensive coordinator
for the
Coffee High School football team
. He was a
standout running back
at
Fitzgerald High School
and at
Wofford College
, where he was inducted into
Wofford's Athletic Hall of Fame
.
In
college
,
Johnson
was a
four-year starter
at running back and
led
the team in
rushing
all four seasons. He is ranked
third in school history
with
3,851
career rushing yards. In addition, he holds the
school record
for
most carries in a game
(
36
) and is
sixth
in
school history
with
607
career carries.
Turner County
is his
first head coaching job
.
Johnson
succeeds
Nick Hayes
, who had a
7-5
record in
one year
as
Turner County head coach.
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Newly promoted Col. Ray Merritt, left, with Tift County Sheriff Gene Scarbrough.
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TIFT SHERIFF NAMES NEW CHIEF DEPUTY/COLONEL
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Tift County Sheriff
Gene Scarbrough
on
Tuesday
promoted Maj.
Ray Merritt
to
chief deputy
, which carries the rank of
colonel
.
"
Colonel Merritt
has served as the
head
of the
Criminal Investigative Division
and has served the citizens of
Tift County
with honor and distinction for
28
years with the
Tift County Sheriff's Office
,"
Scarbrough
said.
"
Colonel Merritt
will
oversee
the
day-to-day operations
of the Tift County Sheriff's Office."
Merritt
succeeds Col.
Larry Taylor
, who
retired
from the Sheriff's Office after serving more than
26
years.
"On behalf of the members of the
Tift County Sheriff's Office
and the citizens of
Tift County
, I wish
Colonel Merritt
much
success
in his
new assignment
, and
Colonel Taylor
much
enjoyment
in his
retirement
,"
Scarbrough
said.
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From left are Kashi Johnson, Mackenzie Dunlap, Mariyah Batts, Kaden Ware and Nicholas Morgan who will represent the Tifton Elks Lodge in district competition.
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LOCAL CHILD CHAMPS TO REPRESENT TIFTON ELKS AT HOOPS CONTEST
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Thirty
young
contestants
recently competed in the
Tifton Elks Lodge Local Hoop Shoot Contest
, and
five
champions emerged to
represent
the local organization in
district Elks competition
.
This year’s champions
representing
the
Tifton Elk’s Lodge 1114
in the
South District Hoop Shoot
are
Kashi Johnson, Mackenzie Dunlap, Mariyah Batts, Kaden Ware,
and
Nicholas Morgan
.
The
local contest
is
co-sponsored
by the
Tifton Elks Lodge
and the
Tift County Recreation Department
. The Hoop Shoot competition was
divided
into
age categories
for boys and girls:
8-9, 10-11, 12-13
.
Tifton’s champions
will
advance
to the
Georgia Elks South District Hoop Shoot Competition
on
Saturday, Jan. 25
.
The
Elks Hoop Shoot
competition is a
national
event held since
1974
. It is funded by the
Elks National Foundation
and is free to all participants. More than
1.5 million
children compete annually. More than
1,950
Elk Lodges and more than
800,000
volunteers support the competition.
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NEW CHRISTIAN SCHOOL COMING TO TIFT
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A
new private school
coming to
Tift County
“aims to
teach
students
how to think
rather than what to think,”
Victoria Harris
, head of
Providence School of Tifton
, told the
Tifton Rotary Club
on
Wednesday
.
“We plan to fill them with words to
prepare
them for
middle school
(and beyond) and not to fall prey to others’ words,” she said.
“They need to
distinguish
a
good argument
from that which is not," and to “speak elegantly and winsomely."
Classical Christian Education
fully develops the entire person, she said.
Latin
and
Greek
will be among the subjects taught. The school's ultimate
goal
is to
nurture
the
next generation
of
Christians
and to equip them to
glorify God
with the rest of their lives,
Harris
said.
She said the school is
interdenominational
and
board governed
. It has received
20-25
student applications with a plan to accept a maximum of
80
. The school will be completely
tuition
and
donor funded
, and its initial location will be announced
Jan. 19.
A two-year
capital campaign
to locate and build a
permanent location
will begin later. The
first day
of class will be
Aug. 7
, and classes will begin with
Pre-K
through
sixth grade
.
“We’re planning to
shape
and
form
the
next generation
to
spread the Gospel
,”
Harris
said.
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PLANT & SEED SWAP SET JAN. 25
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The
ninth annual Plant and Seed Swap
will be held Saturday,
Jan. 25
hosted by the
Wiregrass Farmers Market
at the
Georgia Museum of Agriculture
.
The event in the
museum lobby
will be from
10 a.m.-noon.
Participants may
bring plants or seeds
to
share
or may just attend to
find a few new things to try
in the yard or garden.
No money is exchanged
; this swap is an outreach event by the Wiregrass Farmers Market.
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FIRST TUESDAY FEATURES JAZZ QUARTET
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The smooth sounds of the
Dave Potter Jazz Quartet
will fill the
Chapel of All Faiths
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
at
7 p.m. Feb. 4
for ABAC's
First Tuesday
concert, free to the public.
Potter
, the group's drummer, has performed with many well-known jazz artists and has recorded three albums with
Jason Marsalis
. Featured in a
2010
novel,
“The New Face of Jazz,”
Potter is based in
Atlanta
where he teaches and also tours the globe as a member of the
Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet.
Other members of the
Potter
Quartet
are
Greg Tardy
on saxophone,
Rodney Jordan
on bass guitar and
Bill Peterson
on piano.
Tardy
has been featured on several Grammy-winning recording and has recorded
11
albums of his own. In
1998
, he was nominated as Best Debut Artist in the
New York Jazz Awards
.
A jazz studies professor,
Jordan
joined the
Florida State University
faculty in
2001
and has performed in
Wigmore Hall
in
London
with the
Marcus Roberts Trio
, the
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in
Washington, D.C
., with
Rene Marie
, and the
Monterey (Calif.) Jazz Festival
.
Peterson
is a professor of music in jazz studies and music theory/composition at
FSU
, teaching jazz piano, jazz arranging and jazz combo. He has performed at the
Monterey Jazz Festival
, the
Blue Note Jazz Club
in
New York City
, the
Paraguay International Jazz Festival
and the
Savannah Music Festival
.
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UGA TIFTON'S
'DOUBLE
DAWG'?
No, you're not exactly seeing
double
– or are you?
The
pet bulldog
at right in the photo was attending the formal
unleashing
of
"Razor,"
this week – the latest
University of Georgia Tifton Campus dawg statue
sponsored by
Offroad Powersports
at their location in
Tifton
.
There are
12
dawg statues in the
Tifton
area with each named and sponsored by a local business and/or organization.
"Call the Dawgs to Tifton"
is an ongoing initiative of the UGA Tifton
Agribusiness Club
and
Collegiate FFA
begun in
celebration
of the
100th anniversary
of the
Tifton campus
.
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TIFTON MEALS ON WHEELS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS
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Meals on Wheels of Tifton
, a nonprofit organization that provides daily
meals
to
homebound residents
, is seeking
volunteers
.
"It takes
60
people to fill all of the
volunteer spots
to deliver meals. We currently have
14
openings that are being filled by people going the extra mile," said
James Marshall
, local Meals on Wheels volunteer coordinator.
"It only takes from
30 to 45
minutes on
one day
every other week."
Marshall
said each volunteer delivers
eight to 12
meals
every other week
, picking up the meals in
insulated bags
at
First United Methodist Church of Tifton
and
returning
the
bags
after the deliveries.
The organization said it has had to
turn down requests
for
meals
from qualified individuals because there are
not enough volunteers
to handle the demand. Meal
recipients
are
homebound
and are
unable
to
prepare meals
for themselves and have no one at home who can do so.
Recipients are expected to pay for their meals, but no one is refused a meal because of their inability to pay. The organization gets about
20 percent
of its funding from the
United Way of South Central Georgia
. The remainder comes from local
donations
, which are tax-deductible.
To
volunteer
, call
Marshall
at
229-392-2146
.
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AVAILABLE AT THE TIFT COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER
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Your future pet is ready for adoption today.
________________________
Visit them at the Tift County Animal Shelter, 1-6 p.m., Mondays-Fridays,
at 278 Ga. Highway 125 South in Tifton.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, JAN. 17
- 'Sweets & Songs' Dessert Buffet & Choral Showcase, 5:30 p.m. dessert; 6:30 p.m. concert; Tift County High School, Tifton
- Tift County High Blue Devils basketball @ Lowndes High Vikings, 6 p.m., Valdosta
- Books & Brushes Kids Paint & Story Time, 6 p.m., Margaret Jones Public Library, Sylvester
- Seniors Enjoying Life Forever (SELF) pot-luck dinner & dance, 7 p.m., Leroy Rogers Senior Center, Tifton
SATURDAY, JAN. 18
- 'Sweets & Songs' Dessert Buffet & Choral Showcase, 1 p.m. dessert; 2 p.m. concert; Tift County High School, Tifton
- Gun Powder Demonstration & Museum Tour, 2 p.m., Ga. Veterans State Park, Cordele
- MLK Weekend Celebration Gospel Fest, 5 p.m., Monitor Center, Fitzgerald
- 'Sweets & Songs' Dessert Buffet & Choral Showcase, 5:30 p.m. dessert; 6:30 p.m. concert; Tift County High School, Tifton
- 'A Beautiful Night of Worship with Josh Baldwin,' 7 p.m., South Georgia Church of Good Tabernacle, Tifton
SUNDAY, JAN. 19
- 'Sweets & Songs' Dessert Buffet & Choral Showcase, 1 p.m. dessert; 2 p.m. concert; TCHS Performing Arts Center, Tifton
- MLK Weekend Celebration Church Service, 3 p.m., New Life Community Church Center, Fitzgerald
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JAN. 9
Chester Ray Strayer, 58,
Tifton
John Joseph Mihalek, 68,
Chula
Charles Edward Roberson Sr., 92,
Fitzgerald
Samuel "Zack" Martin, 81,
Barwick
Marilyn Louise James, 56,
Kissimmee, Fla.
Barbra Harrison Evers, 78,
Ocilla
Eddie Monroe Douglas, 61,
Fitzgerald
Betty Jean Bailey, 77,
Ocilla
Verna Louise Farmer Cameron, 95,
Sycamore
JAN. 10
Harrell Franklin Bloodworth, 85, Tifton
John William "J.W." Baker Jr., 85,
West Berrien
James Bradley "Brad" Tennison, 53,
Nashville
Kathaleen A. Lively, 61,
Irwin County
JAN. 11
Billy Dean Stephens, 85,
Omega
Benjamin Ray Senkbeil, 32,
Sylvester
Jan Woods Morris, 66,
Americus
JAN. 12
William “Bill” Sheperd Luke, 86,
Adel
Loreia Jean Edwards, 86,
Tifton
Wilma Huey Wallace, 89,
Fitzgerald
JAN. 13
Laverne Eteva Brown Moorhouse, 76,
Tifton
Loreia Jean Edwards, 86,
Tifton
Ruth Ann Shivers Jordan, 62,
Ashburn
Harris Lee "H.L." Crumley, 89,
Eldorado
Brian Patrick Peugh, 36,
Macon
Mary Ellen Wene, 80,
Sylvester
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JAN. 14
John Franklin "Frank" Walker, 45,
Nashville
JAN. 15
Clara Horton Warren, 59,
Enigma
JAN. 16
Raymond Howell,
Sumner
Paula Cook Pate, 64,
Fitzgerald
Hanson Rawlins Carter, 87,
Nashville
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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday
Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
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A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
,
Tifton, Georgia
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