Funding Arts in Tifton

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

TIFTON MUSEUM'S FUNDRAISER WILL HELP CONTINUE ARTS

ONE DONOR WINS $5,000 IN MUSEUM RAFFLE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Tifton Museum of Arts & Heritage can continue offering its programs and services in the coming months following a successful fundraising raffle during which one lucky donor won $5,000.

The museum’s “virtual raffle,” conducted online, generated more than $21,000; the goal was $15,000. For a $100 donation, donors had their names entered in a drawing for $5,000 cash.

Joanne Littlefield, associate professor of agricultural communication at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, won Tuesday’s drawing.

"I love the Tifton Museum of Arts & Heritage, and I'm so happy to support them," Littlefield told the Tifton Grapevine. "The art classes they are offering virtually have helped me and my family stay connected and making art. We can't wait to enjoy the space in person soon."

And what are her plans for the $5,000?

"Savings, for sure," Littlefield said, adding, "I'll probably buy some art supplies and a stand-up paddle board."

Joy Yost, the downtown museum's administrative coordinator, said raffle participants "blew us away by helping us raise over $21,000. ... A big thank you to everyone."

She said the museum had to "cancel our Gala, two exhibits, months' worth of classes, and our Celebrate Creativity festival this year due to COVID-19. This fundraising raffle took the place of our annual gala. Thanks to your generous support, the museum will be able to continue offering the same level of services to the community, although in a slightly different manner this year."

The funds will help with online art classes each month, the musem's virtual gallery, a new virtual store that will soon feature artwork and literature by local artists, upcoming exhibits, a modified Celebrate Creativity festival in the spring, and "ongoing upkeep and care for our beautiful historic building to keep the local economy strong in the heart of Tifton," Yost said.

BASF PLANS $70 MILLION EXPANSION, 30 NEW JOBS

AT SPARKS PLANT

BASF chemical company plans to invest $70 million and hire 30 new employees at its Cook County plant to manufacture crop seed coatings.

The facility on Highway 41 N. in Sparks, which opened in 1984 and currently has 145 employees, will be expanded to include more lab space, a climate-controlled warehouse and a formulation unit. It will make seed coatings for corn that include an insecticide, a bacteria that protects against roundworms, and another bacteria that increases nutrient absorption.

The plant will also make a seed treatment that protects soybeans against a deadly fungus and roundworms. The production investments will provide needed solutions for farmers while contributing to the economic development of local communities, BASF said in a press release.

“This expansion not only provides benefits to our customers, but to our community as well,” said Mark Wolverton, Sparks site director. “BASF has been a proud supporter of our community for more than 35 years. We look forward to employing local residents from Sparks and the surrounding areas, and continuing to contribute to the economic well-being of our region.”

BASF plans to begin hiring late this year, with the expansion becoming fully operational by the third quarter of next year.

TIFTON MAN GETS INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A Tifton man who has been a ham radio operator since 1955 has received an international award for his long service to a worldwide ham-radio organization.

Jim Hardy, a computer programmer, recently was given the 10-10 International Presidents Award. The 10-10 organization (10-10 represents the 10-meter shortwave radio band) is an organization of amateur radio operators dedicated to maintaining high levels of radio communications on the 10-meter band.

I wasn’t expecting this,” Hardy told the Tifton Grapevine. “Its been a surprise.” 10-10 International has about 78,000 members worldwide.

Every Sunday night, the Federal Communications Commission posts operators’ new call signs. “There’s a lot of vanity call signs,” Hardy said. “I will download the weekly FCC updates and post them to update the users; I’ve been doing it 20 years.”

Hardy said he has also written a computer program for use on the radio band “to help keep track of information,” which he sells to operators.

With all the technological advances in electronic communications, some folks still use ham radio “just to talk to friends or for emergencies, like storms,” Hardy said. “If the power’s off, there’s no Internet. The biggest benefit of ham radio to everybody is its portable operation; it’s self-contained."

Hardy said he started in amateur radio in 1955 when he was a junior in high school. The late, Tifton radio station owner “Ralph Edwards gave me my start.” In addition to his lifelong connection to amateur radio, Hardy has also been involved in commercial radio, once owning WMGA radio in Moultrie.

He still sells a computer program he first developed for commercial radio years ago that compiles a spreadsheet for each commercial that airs and creates an invoice that can be emailed as a PDF document. Hardy has also converted his software program “Traffic Light" for use at television stations.

A graduate of what is now the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega and of Penn State University, Hardy has worked for NASA and has served in the U.S. Army in charge of the radio frequency measuring team. He was part of the team that determined the best location for the first satellites for use in Vietnam during that war.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF AGRICULTURE, HISTORIC VILLAGE, REOPENING SEPT. 5

With old favorites such as a train ride featuring the 1917 Vulcan steam locomotive to new additions such as hand-scooped ice cream, ABAC's Georgia Museum of Agriculture is reopening to the public this Saturday, Sept. 5.

Museum Director Garrett Boone said the Historic Village staff is looking forward to being back in operation after almost six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to be back and welcome all our visitors,” Boone said. “The Country Store and museum main hall have been up and running for a few weeks, but now we’re opening back up the Historic Village.”

Boone said the museum is an immersive experience into the agrarian and cultural traditions of the 19th century American South. Visitors may glimpse the innovative and storied history of the South Georgia Wiregrass region through hands-on learning experiences and historic sites and artifacts.

“Our Country Store is going to be one of our most popular spots with everything we have added to it. Besides the hand-scooped ice cream, we now have popcorn and cotton candy, as well as all our toys and gift items," Boone said.

“We have also added some colorful picnic tables and umbrellas just outside the store where our guests can enjoy their treats. And perhaps most exciting to the little ones is the addition of three more large pieces of playground equipment.”

Boone said conference and meeting facilities will be open at a reduced capacity to conform to federal and state guidelines. Masks are required at all indoor areas.

Alivia Mathis, left, with Mandy Brooks, director of the TRMC Foundation.

STUDENTS GET BOYETTE SCHOLARSHIP

The Ilse Boyette Book Scholarship was recently presented to two full-time students on behalf of Henry Boyette and family and the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation.

The recipients are Daisha Marshall and Alivia Mathis. Marshall is a fulltime student at Valdosta State University (VSU) where she is obtaining a Ph.D in secondary education with a concentration in chemistry. Upon graduation from high school, she was accepted into VSU and classified as a sophomore because of dual enrollment classes she took in high school.

Mathis is obtaining a degree in pharmaceutical medicine. She is a fulltime student at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College majoring in biology. In spring 2021, Mathis plans to apply to the pharmacy program of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, with hopes of getting her pharmD.

The award was established in memory of Ilse Boyette for her love of nursing and the healthcare field. The scholarships are a $500 award to be used for book expenses at the school of the recipient’s choice. Funds have been made possible through the Ilse Boyette Memorial and the Tour de Tifton, sponsored through the Tiftarea YMCA.

USDA FUNDS WORKFORCE PROJECTS AT WIREGRASS TECH CAMPUSES IN BEN HILL, COOK COUNTIES

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Tuesday that projects in Ben Hill and Cook counties are among 16 grants, totaling $1,384,000, for rural business development and job creation in Georgia.

Funding comes from the Rural Business Development Grant program. The local grants were awarded to Wiregrass Georgia Technical College for:

The Ben Hill County campus to purchase and equip a mobile training laboratory for the masonry construction technology degree program, $99,999; and for a new mobile training laboratory for the framing construction technology degree program, $99,999;
The Cook County campus for buying and equipping a mobile training lab for its framing construction technology degree program.

The USDA grant program is for “workforce development, business development and job creation,” said Joyce White, USDA Rural Development state director.

“It can be used by technical colleges to modernize classroom equipment to train a technically skilled workforce, and by small towns to renovate business centers, start business incubators and expand opportunities with this program."

Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 50,000 or less.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

This kitten is among those pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. Visit the Animal Shelter from 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:

Branch's Veterinary Clinic

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055

POLIO SHUTS DOWN TIFT SCHOOLS

– SEPT. 4, 1941

Tifton city and Tift County schools were closed on Sept. 4, 1941, when a new case of polio was confirmed in the city. Authorities scheduled schools to reopen on Sept. 22 – that is, if no new cases of the polio disease arise.