Catching Up with Tifton's Stars

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

Three Tifton natives who are successful in the entertainment industry: Singers

Kip Moore, from left, and Austin Brown, and actress Caitlin Carmichael.

TIFTON'S TOP TALENT CATCHING UP WITH LOCAL STARS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tifton has always had talented people, and three homegrown natives continue to make waves in the entertainment business. Actress Caitlin Carmichael, and singers Austin Brown and Kip Moore all have new projects underway.

Caitlin Carmichael

The 19-year-old actress has been performing since she was three years old after being discovered on a Disney cruise.

Carmichael has been transitioning into adult roles following her successful career as a child actress in TV and films (her credits include "NCIS: Los Angeles," "CSI: Miami," "Law & Order: LA," "Hot in Cleveland," "Young Sheldon," "iCarly," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Dexter," "Vegas," "Dwight in Shining Armor," "Bag of Bones," "Life Itself," "300: Rise of an Empire," "Wheelman," "Midnight in the Switchgrass," and many more).

Just released this month is Carmichael's latest movie, "Roadkill," in which she stars (click the image to see the trailer).

"Vengeance rides the open road when a young woman, traveling alone, encounters a renegade drifter and ends up in a fight for her life," reads the promo for the movie, which was filmed in the Panama City Beach area.

Austin Brown

Three weeks ago, Brown, 37, a member of the a cappella country quintet Home Free, released another solo song: "I'll Go First," which celebrates his love for wife, Amberly.

“This song was a labor of love,” Brown wrote on social media. “It took about three years and a whole village to feel like we got it right. Might be what feels like my most complete piece of art to date, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped us find it. And yes, those are our rings,” he said, referring to the song's cover photo.

During the past few years, Brown has released several solos while still remaining part of the Home Free group. Currently, Home Free is performing as part of the annual Country Music Cruise, which travels from Fort Lauderdale to Key West to Cozumel to Costa Maya. The group has already been signed for next January's Country Music Cruise, which also will include singer John Berry, a former Tifton resident.

After this week's cruise, Home Free resumes its touring schedule, which includes a stop in Columbus, Ga., on April 4.

Kip Moore

The multi-platinum singer/songwriter, 43, is fresh off a successful international tour where he sold out arenas in in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.

Moore, who gave his first public performance at the Mellow Mushroom restaurant in Valdosta, recently released his fifth studio album, "Damn Love." He first hit the music charts in 2012 with the top-selling “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck,” followed by three more No. 1 country hits: “Hey Pretty Girl,” “Beer Money,” and “More Girls Like You.”

The Chicago Tribune said Moore is “a bit more Southern rock than traditional country. … To be a Kip Moore fan suddenly became a marker of your having a certain refinement in your country-music taste.”

This spring, Moore is teaming up with country singer Billy Currington for a limited, joint concert tour around the country. The tour stops in Chastain Park in Atlanta on April 26.

STATE ID's TWO AREA SCHOOLS IN NEED OF IMPROVEMENTS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) has identified two schools in area counties that need state assistance to improve their students' performance.

Ben Hill County's Hurricane Transition Academy in Fitzgerald and the Worth County Achievement Center in Sylvester are both alternatives to traditional high schools for students requiring more aid and supervision. They are among 107 schools the state identified for "comprehensive support & improvement."

Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, states are required to identify their lowest-performing schools in need of additional support.

“One of our most important responsibilities as the state’s educational agency is to help every school improve so that they can provide the best possible education for the children they serve,” said state School Superintendent Richard Woods.

“The purpose is not to label schools but to partner with them to increase outcomes and opportunities for their students, as we have with the 86 schools that made the improvements to exit state support this year.”

The GDOE’s Office of School Improvement works directly with identified schools to help them improve the educational outcomes of their students. The state provides professional learning and targeted technical assistance.

TURNER COUNTY NAMES NEW FOOTBALL COACH

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Ashburn native Demario Barber, a 2007 graduate of Turner County High School, was named Monday as the school's new head football coach.

Barber was a two-time all-conference punt returner and wide receiver at Fort Valley State University, has served as a defensive backs coach at Irwin County High when the Indians won a state championship and competed in another, has been an assistant coach in Thomasville and Americus, and most recently served as defensive coordinator at Veterans High.

“It feels great to be able to come back home to my alma mater, a community I grew up in, a place that means so much to me, and give back to my community, give back to these kids," he told WALB-TV. "If you believe in yourself, and you work hard and learn how to persevere, you can do anything.”

On social media, the school wrote: "The future is bright under Coach Barber's leadership. His passion for the game, commitment to our student-athletes, and vision to bring a championship back to Turner County make him the perfect fit to lead our program."

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

GOV REAPPOINTS TIFTON'S CHIEF HYMAN TO GA POST

On Thursday, Gov. Brian P. Kemp reappointed Tifton Police Chief Steve Hyman to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, or "POST."

Hyman has served as chairman of the council, whose mission is to provide citizens with qualified, professionally trained, ethical, and competent peace officers and criminal-justice professionals.

SPRING HILL COUNTRY CLUB GOLF DIRECTOR WINS PGA SENIOR EVENT:

Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, the director of golf at Tifton's Spring Hill Country Club, shot 66 in the final round at the PGA Golf Club Ryder Course in Port St. Lucie to win the 60-and-over division of the recent PGA Senior Stroke Play Championship. The tournament was shortened to 36 holes because of weather.

TIFT COUNTY HIGH ROBOTICS TEAM QUALIFIES FOR STATE COMPETITION:

The Tift County Blue Devil Robotics Team won the top award at the Vex IQ robotics tournament in Covington last weekend. This qualifies them to participate in the state event on Feb. 11 in McDonough.

NEW EAGLE SCOUT HONORED AT ASHBURN CHURCH: Cordele Boy Scout Troop 270 held an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Wesley Fletcher last Saturday at High Hill Baptist Church in Ashburn. Wesley is the son of Beth and Jody Fletcher of Ashburn. He is the grandson of Vickie and Jerry Gunn of Ashburn, Joanna and Wayne Fletcher of Albany, and Debra and David Kendrick of Tifton.

COLONY BANKCORP NAMES EXECUTIVE VP/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Colony Bankcorp Inc., the bank holding company for Colony Bank, has promoted Derek Shelnutt to executive vice president and chief financial officer of the company. He previously was executive vice president and CFO of Colony Bank. He joined the company in 2020.

ABAC NAMES MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Calvin Sinkfield has been named men’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College as ABAC brings back basketball and establishes a four-year program.

“I’ve known about ABAC for a long time,” Sinkfield said. “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to bring back something that was such a focal point on campus and in the community.”

The majority of Sinkfield’s playing and coaching career has been in Georgia. A Griffin native, Sinkfield played a role in the success of Griffin High’s basketball program in the late 1980s and early '90s, compiling a 95-12 record during his time there, including a state championship in 1988.

In college, he played on a national tournament team at Odessa (Texas) College before transferring to Georgia Southern. He started 54 games in two years with the Eagles, averaging 14 points and 6.2 rebounds while leading his team to the NCAA tournament in 1992.

As a coach, he had stops at his two collegiate alma maters as well as a year at Jacksonville University. His return to the high school ranks included Griffin, Sandy Creek, and Spalding High before he started the men’s basketball program at Southern Crescent Technical College in 2010.

His Tigers twice won their league title, and he was named the NJCAA Division III Region XVII Coach of the Year for the 2017-2018 season.

Sinkfield said the challenge of rebuilding ABAC’s men’s program is exciting.

“Restarting a program brings with it a lot of challenges and opportunities,” he said. “But I can already tell that ABAC basketball is even bigger than I imagined. I see the possibility of a lot of growth now that we’re going to be a four-year program for the first time. It really stretches the imagination.”

DIVERSIFIED ENTERPRISES

RECOGNIZES LONG-TIME

EMPLOYEE ON RETIREMENT

Diversified Enterprises recently recognized Melissa Rutland (pictured left) for 25 years of service to the State of Georgia and her retirement at the end of January.

"Melissa has been a dedicated Diversified Enterprises employee and has contributed so much to our community by assisting adults with disabilities to find jobs and maintain employment," said Executive Director Kristy Dominy (at right in photo).

Rutland plans on returning later in the spring to help Diversified with onboarding and training new employees.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Solomon" is a classy guy all dressed and ready to meet his new owners. Come visit Solomon and see other pets available for adoption between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

VFW POST NAMED FOR FIRST

TIFT COUNTIAN KILLED IN WORLD WAR II

~ JAN. 24, 1946

The local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) received its charter Jan. 24, 1946, and named Tift County VFW Post No. 5250 for Garland Anderson, who was the first Tift countian to die in service during World War II.