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DEC. 19, 2017
Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126
tiftongrapevine.com
REFURBISHING SEATS
AT THE TIFT
FOX THEATRE GRANT AIDS IN REPAIRS

Tifton City Council on Monday OK'd a proposal by a Fitzgerald upholsterer for refurbishing the 613 seats in the 80-year-old Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Council approved Seams & Things Upholstery's base bid of $160,374 for repairing and re-upholstering the historic theatre's seats; the Fitzgerald company also bid an additional $61,300 for powder coating all of the seats.

The City of Tifton has received a $77,027 preservation grant from the Fox Theatre Institute in Atlanta for the seating work. The city is committing the additional funding and had already budgeted $140,000 for theatre renovation.

The work is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2018. City Manager Pete Pyrzenski told council that the work will go on around several events already scheduled in the downtown theater.

 

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THE BELLS OF ABAC
CHAPEL'S CHIMES RING AFTER 5 YEARS OF SILENCE

When the  graduates of  Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College streamed out of  Gressette Gym after the  fall commencement ceremony last  Thursday , they heard the chimes from the  Chapel of All Faiths serenading them on their accomplishments. 
 
Silenced for the past five years because of technical problems, the chimes rang out loud and clear on a crisp blue-sky day as the graduates celebrated. ABAC Media Productions Coordinator Matthew
ABAC's bell tower is silent no more.
Reid said it has been a long process to restore the music from the bell tower. 

"It couldn't have happened without everyone's commitment and teamwork," Reid said.

Reid said the new digital system features a high-definition speaker that will produce a deeper sound throughout the front of the campus. 

"There are currently 5,000 song options, and we have the ability to add an additional 1,000 more," Reid said. "It is truly a new technology to enhance an old system. We plan to ring the chimes on the hour just as they did when the chapel opened." 

Reid said Paul Willis, vice president for finance and operations, was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition along with Arts Connection Director Wayne Jones, Fine Arts department head Susan Roe, and Chief Development Officer Deidre Martin. 

Martin said restoring the chimes is only one step in a larger improvement plan for the chapel in the coming year. Donations from alumni and friends led by alumnus Tyron Spearman helped to get the project underway.



THE
'GINGERBREAD LADY'
OMEGA STUDENTS HEAR STORY,
MAKE ORNAMENTS

Former Omega Elementary Principal Glenda Huggins recently visited Beth Thompson's Pre-K class for the holidays. 

During her visit, Huggins  read aloud  "The Gingerbread Baby" to students and followed up with a Christmas craft --making gingerbread ornaments

Students enjoyed the treat of hearing another person read to them and participating in a fun craft that created a lasting treasure

































HIGHER FENCING A 'DEERTERRENT'
TO ANIMALS ON I-75

Any driver who's hit a deer or spotted one standing on the shoulder of the road understands why new fencing is being placed along portions of Interstate Highway 75 in the Greater Tiftarea.

Old fencing with a height of four or five feet has being replaced with eight-foot game fence in various locations in Crisp, Turner, Tift and Lowndes counties through Georgia Department of
Transportation (GDOT) maintenance service contracts. 

Fence replacement just wrapped up in Lowndes County and must be inspected by GDOT. The other counties are now complete. 

Contractors were also asked to use wire to fill in bottom gaps at low spots to prevent deer from getting under. Given a space of a foot or 18 inches, deer will "lay on their belly and scoot right under it. 

"They're pretty agile animals," said Charlie Killmaster, state deer biologist with the Ga. Department of Natural Resources.

Last year 15,479 motor vehicle collisions with animals were reported on all routes statewide. Those specified as collisions with deer totaled 8,263. However, not all agencies and officers report in the same manner, so some of the 7,216 collisions with "animals" may also have been deer. 

The collisions resulted in 969 injuries and 16 fatalities statewide. Those are just the collisions that were reported through law enforcement.

"It's nothing for a deer to jump a five-foot fence. The eight-foot fence may reduce the number of deer that get onto the highway, which can prevent crashes and injuries to motorists," said Scott Chambers, GDOT maintenance engineer. 

While deer can jump eight feet, "they generally don't unless they're pressured," Killmaster said. The fence height also reduces the chance of a pedestrian accessing the interstate from private property.

 
FAMILY PROMISE TO MEET

Family Promise of Tift Area will meet at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Tifton on Monday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m.

The organization is working to provide aid to local homeless families in Tift County.



We're Seeking a
Church Pianist

Tifton First United 
Methodist Church

107 W 12th St., Tifton, GA


Tifton First United Methodist Church has an opening for a part-time church pianist.
 
The pianist is responsible for preparing for and practicing with 
the chancel choir, orchestra and ensemble every Wednesday evening for about two hours and for playing at Sunday 
traditional services  at  9 a.m. and 11 a.m., as well as at special services at Christmas, Easter, etc.  

Interested persons should contact Angie Carr at  musicdirector@tiftonfumc.org 
or call   229-382-6100 .




PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT CODING, ROBOTICS


Students at G.O. Bailey Primary School recently work with applying computer coding to guide robots on a specific path

The Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence awarded the $650 grant to G.O. Bailey's Media Specialist Emy Aultman to bring the technology experience to primary school students.

TIFT BLUE DEVILS RANKED NO. 6

The Georgia Sports Writers Association has released its final High School Football Poll for the
Tift Blue Devil logo
 season, and the Tift County High Blue Devils come in at No. 6 in Class 7-A.

State champion  North Gwinnett High, of course, is No. 1, with the  Colquitt County High Packers at No. 2. The Lowndes County High Vikings are ranked No. 8 for the year.

In Class 1-A, Clinch County High is No. 1, with the Irwin County High Indians at No. 2.


GUEST COLUMN
'MODERNIZING'  AID FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, OUTDOOR RECREATION

By U.S. Rep. AUSTIN SCOTT
R-Tifton (8th District)

The holiday season is a special time when Georgians can come together to enjoy good food,
SCOTT
 football  and spend time with family and friends. It's also a time to enjoy the great outdoors . Growing up in  South Georgia instilled in me a passion for the outdoors and a desire to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to share that same feeling.
 
Many of my fondest memories involve  hunting and fishing in our beautiful country. However, decades of population relocation to urban areas has made it more difficult for many Americans to regularly participate in sportsmen's activities. Unfortunately, this decline in outdoor recreation has also had a negative impact on our country's wildlife conservation funds.

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