Friday, Dec. 23, 2022

Tifton, Georgia

GrapeNew

CHRISTMAS 2022


LESSONS OF PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

"A Christmas Carol," a novella by Charles Dickens and first published at Christmas 1843, remains a favorite Christmas tale. One reason for its continued popularity is its message that remains relevant today.


The mean-spirited Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by spirits of his Christmases past, present, and future. He is reminded of the happier, sunnier days of his youth; he gets his eyes opened to conditions that surround his present life; and he ultimately faces his own fate, if he doesn’t change the path of his life.


The story tells us that there is always a chance for a better future, that it’s always possible to alter the road we are on.


Scrooge resolves to be a changed man.


"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach,” Scrooge says near the end of the story.


And that is the lesson of Dickens’s tale: Live in the past, present, and future, for they are intertwined. Remember from where we came, but be present in the moment and know that today’s actions directly create tomorrow’s reality.


At Christmastime, we are reminded to think of others, to promote goodwill. Shouldn't we be doing this throughout the year? Many folks already do so; many others need the reminder.


As we approach a new year, let us resolve to honor Christmas in our hearts and try to keep it all the year. We will be the better for it; the world will be the better for it.


Merry Christmas, and as Dickens wrote, “God bless us, everyone."

– Frank Sayles Jr.

Tifton Grapevine

The above map shows the streets to be resurfaced during the current project.

TIFTON TO PAVE

20 STREETS IN COMING WEEKS

Twenty streets will soon be resurfaced throughout the City of Tifton, and officials say concrete repairs have already begun on some of the streets.


Paving is expected to start after the new year and be completed in March, weather permitting, the city says.


Tifton’s $992,481 resurfacing project is being financed with Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant (LMIG) funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation along with city Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds.

JOBLESS RATES DROP

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tift and all counties in the Tiftarea saw their unemployment rates drop in November, meaning there were fewer jobless workers in the area.


"We are seeing job numbers continue to rise across the state as Georgians secure employment,” said state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.


Unemployment rates also dropped in regions throughout Georgia in November as we entered the holiday employment period,” Butler noted.


In Tift County, the November jobless rate was 2.4%, compared to 2.7% in the previous month. The labor force in Tift totaled 21,662 during the month, according to data from the Ga. Department of Labor.


November's jobless rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 3.8% vs. 4.1%Worth, 2.8% vs. 3.0%Irwin, 3.7% vs. 3.9%Cook, 2.8% vs. 3.3%Berrien, 2.9% vs. 3.1%; and Ben Hill, 4.0% vs. 4.7%.


The state of Georgia’s unemployment rate for the month was at 3%. Nationwide, the jobless rate was at 3.7%.

THE BIG CHILL ARRIVES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A hard freeze hits us in South Georgia today bringing dangerously cold weather. Temperatures are expected to fall quickly throughout today (Friday) and drop to 18 degrees tonight with a wind chill approaching 7 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.


The hard freeze warning is in effect to Christmas Day. Saturday’s high temperature is forecast to remain at 32 degrees, falling to 19 later Christmas Eve. On Sunday, Christmas Day, the high is expected to be 39 with a low of 21 degrees.


To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes, officials recommend that they be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. People with in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing.


The National Weather Service said frost and freeze conditions will kill crops and damage other sensitive vegetation.


Gov. Brian P. Kemp has declared a State of Emergency through Monday to "help us ensure that essential supplies, especially propane, can be delivered for residential and commercial needs."


To assist homeowners who may lose power and to aid stranded motorists, Georgia State Parks are opening warming stations for public use this weekend. These shelters have restrooms but no food or bedding. ParkPass fees will be waived for those using warming stations.


The nearest warming station in the Tiftarea is at Reed Bingham State Park in Adel. For a complete list of available warming stations, Click Here!

COLONY BANK DONATES TO 10 RURAL HOSPITALS

Colony Bank announced this week that it has donated $500,000 to 10 rural hospitals throughout Georgia as part of the Georgia HEART hospital program.


The hospitals receiving a donation are: Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton; Dorminy Medical Center, Fitzgerald; Phoebe Worth Medical Center, Sylvester; Colquitt Regional Medical Center, Moultrie; Crisp Regional Hospital, Cordele; Coffee Regional Medical Center, Douglas; Brooks County Hospital, Quitman; Dodge County Hospital, Eastman; Polk Medical Center, Cedartown; and Upson Regional Medical Center, Thomaston.


The HEART program aims to help rural hospitals by increasing their funding and their ability to provide healthcare to Georgia patients.


“It is a privilege to participate in the Georgia HEART hospital program and to make this donation to our local hospitals that touch the lives of so many of our families, team members, customers, and neighbors,” said Heath Fountain, Colony Bank’s chief executive officer.


“These hospitals have such a big impact in our areas, and we are grateful to be able to give back and support them in this way as community partners,” Fountain said.


Lisa Kelly, executive director of the Georgia HEART hospital program, said Colony Bank’s "engagement in this one-of-a-kind program for our state’s rural hospitals is invaluable. The bank’s contributions to multiple rural hospitals through Georgia HEART are sustaining acts for each of their communities.


Colony Bank is enabling life-saving treatments to be administered and is truly elevating the level of healthcare in rural Georgia.”


Colony Bankcorp Inc., the bank holding company for Colony Bank, is headquartered in Fitzgerald. 

~ Click Video Above ~

HUGH CHANDLER, 92, DIES;

EX TIFTON VICE MAYOR & FORMER TIFTON ALUMINUM VICE PRESIDENT

Hugh E. Chandler, 92, a former Tifton vice mayor and a former vice president of Tifton Aluminum, died Tuesday at his Tifton residence.


Chandler also had the distinction of serving one day as Tifton’s mayor after the elected mayor resigned one day before the end of his term, elevating the vice mayor to the office. 


A native of Cedar Bluff, Ala., Chandler worked in several fields before becoming a tool and die maker in 1951 at Dixie Aluminum in Rome.

 

In 1952, he was drafted into the U.S Army, serving in combat with the 37th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, during the Korean War. For his service, he was awarded the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, ROK Presidential Unit Citation, and the Good Conduct Medal and achieving the rank of sergeant first class.


When Alcoa Inc. hired Frank Koran to build a new aluminum plant in Tifton, Koran recruited Chandler to serve as his right-hand man, and together they developed plans and opened Tifton Aluminum in 1966.


In 1981, Chandler was given responsibility for planning, development, construction, and daily operations of a new Tifton Aluminum production facility in Delhi, La., where he served as vice president.


Chandler returned to Tifton in 1986 to serve as vice president of Tifton Aluminum. He was active in the Tifton Rotary Club, the Masons, Springhill Country Club, and the South Georgia/North Florida Senior Golf Association.


He was also elected to the Tifton City Commission.


Funeral services were held Thursday, Dec. 22. Interment follows at 1 p.m. today, Friday, Dec. 23, at Oaknoll Memorial Gardens in Rome


TIFTON’S 'HOLIDAY DATING GUIDE’ MOVIE TO AIR AGAIN ON CHRISTMAS DAY

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

If you missed it last week and are wondering what the fuss is about, you have another chance to view the Tifton Christmas movie shot here in July and August when “The Holiday Dating Guide” airs again at 8 p.m. Christmas Day on the Lifetime TV channel.

 

If you don’t have Lifetime, you can watch it free on your own schedule here. It’s actually the top movie featured on the network's “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime 2022” website. 


Why watch it? In just the first five minutes, you’ll see the Tift Theatre, Simply Stated Boutique, and the interior of the Local at the Lankford Manor. The movie then travels to Tift Hall on the ABAC campus and the president’s office.


The movie producers thought they would have to go to Atlanta to find a stately building to portray a successful publisher, but then they saw the renovated historic buildings at the front of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. 


Other Tifton locations include The Pub, which one character describes as having “FarmersOnly.com vibes.” The Mainstream Band Ga. from Thomasville with front man Jack Brinson sang their version of three Christmas carols, and the studio recordings of those songs may be heard on Pandora or Amazon Music.

 

Another reason to watch: Among all the many local “extras,” you’re sure to see someone you know. There’s Jennie Bassett of Tifton walking along Main Street behind star Maria Menounos, and that’s Rick Phillips playing Santa.


Local debuting actor Braeden Michael Baldwin has a speaking part working the register at the coffee shop, and Tiftonites Lisa Smith is sipping coffee at the counter while Rosemary Hightower sits at a table. Gina Purvis opens the scene at The Pub, and Bridgett Joiner’s actual apartment was used as the main character’s apartment at the Lofts at Union Depot.


Joiner and Purvis join Penny Peters, Randy Bloodworth, and many others at the movie’s Christmas Eve party at the Peach Barn at Timberlake


And finally, the best reason to watch “The Holiday Dating Guide”: To bring more movies like this to Tifton and South Georgia. Alexander Kane, a founding partner of Workhorse Cinema with Mike Donovan, encourages people who enjoyed the movie to give it a high rating at IMdb to increase the chances of making more movies in the area. Rate the movie here.


“It was awesome to highlight South Georgia in making a Christmas film – something that the whole family can watch,” Kane said in a Facebook live post.

 

“It’s you .… You embrace and join in and help out the way Tifton does,” he said. “It’s very important to watch and get the viewership up on the films we make so the industry can grow and create a permanent home in South Georgia


“We have big plans for a studio; we want to build a Christmas village. What we need most is your engagement. We tried not to make a corny, silly, forgettable Christmas film. Everybody brought their ‘A' game.” 

 

Kane said the studio wants to continue to put more Christmas films in South Georgia. “It looks like we’re headed that way. Let’s get a million people watching so that will get a steady stream of Christmas movies in South Georgia.

 

“I ask you to keep watching,” he said. “The more support we get, the more we can do, the more jobs we can create, the more people we can drive into the industry. If you have any desire to be in the movie business, to be a part of these Christmas films, lend a hand, reach out (at tiftmovie@gmail.com). Let us know what you want to do, the best is yet to come. There’s a lot coming in 2023. Merry Christmas!”       

SRTC President Jim Glass addresses legislators and their aides during a recent update on the college.

SRTC SEES ENROLLMENT GROWTH IN PROGRAMS

Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) is experiencing enrollment growth in numerous programs and that translates to robust job placement, according to President Jim Glass.


The most recent data from 2021 indicate that 99.8% of the college’s graduates found jobs95.9% in their field of study, Glass said during a recent update for legislators and their representatives.


Glass said SRTC’s apprenticeship program is expanding; the program placed 55 new apprentices at 11 local organizations this year.


Of those placements, 40 nurse apprentices are currently working and training at area hospitals. Amid the ongoing nursing shortage, Glass said the SRTC nursing program is one of the most productive in the state. With nursing-related enrollment representing 24% of all SRTC students, the program graduated 230 nurses during the past academic year. 


The apprenticeship program was made possible by the Apprenticeship for Economic Recovery grant, which provides funding for apprenticeships that aid Georgians getting into careers in industries key to the state’s economic recovery, such as manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare.



Glass noted substantial enrollment in several other programs, including welding, interdisciplinary studies, and commercial truck driving. The strongest growth, however, was within the college’s Adult Education division.


The Adult Education program offers basic education for adults in adult literacy, career training, English language classes, and high school equivalency (GED) test preparation. SRTC offers these services at no cost to students.


The college is currently serving more than 600 Adult Education students. Since July 1, 66 students have earned their high school equivalency, a 77% growth from Fiscal Year 2021 to FY22. 


“Our Adult Education division is growing by leaps and bounds,” Glass said. “We are currently No. 4 in the state for total number of High School Equivalency (HSE) awards. There are programs three and four times our size, yet we are in the top 13% of most HSE graduates. We are so proud of the strides that our Adult Ed team is making.”

TIFTON’S M.L. KING DAY BREAKFAST SCHEDULED FOR JAN. 16

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast will be held at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at the Tift County Recreation Department.


The guest speaker will be Donnie Carter of Adel, the facility manager for the Tifton Housing Authority. 


A community advocate, Carter is a member of Brothers Helping Others and the Recreation Board of Adel, and is president of the Tip-Off Club for Cook County basketball. He is a deacon at Miracle Temple Church in Adel.


Tickets are $12 and may be purchased from PLIGHT Inc. members. For ticket details or to sponsor a table, call Tift County Commissioner Melissa Hughes at 229-326-0241 or any PLIGHT member.

NEIGHBORHOOD LUMINARIES TONIGHT IN TIFTON

The Tift Terrace neighborhood is holding its annual Christmas luminaries lining the streets tonight, Dec. 23, starting at dusk.


Drive around the neighborhood north of 20th Street to see the lights. The luminaries will be glowing from Emmett Drive to Love Avenue and between 20th and 30th streets, including Willingham Way


A parade of decorated golf carts will line up at the Mormon Church, 402 W. 24th St., and begin at 6:30 p.m. 

Weekly COVID-19 data released from the

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of Dec. 21:


TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 6,761 ...................................... TOTAL DEATHS: 173

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 23 ................................... DEATHS - Past week: 1

TIFT POSITIVITY RATE - 2 weeks: 9.7% ........ CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 85

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 208

_______________________________________________________________


GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,289,391......................................TOTAL GA DEATHS: 34, 270

GA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 1 week: 12,162

GA DEATHS - 1 week: 85..........................................GA HOSPITALIZATIONS - 1 week: 744

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YOUR GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES THIS WEEKEND IN THE TIFTAREA


Sunday, Dec. 25, is Christmas Day. Christians celebrate the day joyously as commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas has evolved over several millennia into a worldwide celebration that’s both religious and secular – a time of joy, of peace, and of spreading goodwill among us all. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 23

  • Christmas in the Pines Lighted Trail, 6 p.m., Georgia Veterans State Park, Cordele
  • Candlelight, Carols & Communion, 7 p.m., Eastside Baptist Church, Tifton


SATURDAY, DEC. 24 ~ Christmas Eve

  • Candlelight Christmas Eve Service, 4:30 & 6 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Tifton


SUNDAY, DEC. 25 ~ Christmas Day

  • Merry Christmas!

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YARD SALE HERE!


TO ADVERTISE YOUR YARD SALE,

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TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S DOG OF THE WEEK

“Sandy Paws” is among the pets hoping for a new holiday home. Visit Sandy Paws and other pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter, on Highway 125 South between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For additional information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:
Branch’s Veterinary Clinic
205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055  
candle-flames-banner.jpg

DEC. 14

Robert “Rob” Stewart Fraser, 64, Tifton

Betty Hall Gauthreaux, 85, Fitzgerald

Tommy Spivey, 78, Fitzgerald

James Clayton “Bo” Gibbs, 78, Ben Hill County


DEC. 15

Kay “KK” Guske Nienstedt, 76, Tifton

Fred Stanley Chappell, 81, Chula


DEC. 16

Evelyn P. Brown, Ashburn


DEC. 17

Dorothy “Dot” Easom Wiggins, 83, Jacksonville, Fla., formerly of Tifton

Nora Mae Carpenter Short, 93, Tifton

Norman George “Butch” Houston III, 80, Nashville

Quintell Gquvauis Smith, 26, Tifton


DEC. 18

Helen Christine Fincher Posey, 78, Ocilla


DEC. 19

Claudio Reyes Espinoza, 47, Tifton

Danny Samuel “Sammy” King, 73, Tifton

Farrell Thomas Parker, 69, Fitzgerald

Jerry Fleming Sr., 61, Alapaha


DEC. 20

Hugh Ernest Chandler, 92, Tifton

Delbert Neil Brown, 91, Lenox,

Rudine A. Noble, 90, Adel

  Billy Edward Walsh, 73, Fitzgerald

Willie Hazel Joyner, 91, Sycamore

DEC. 21

Charles Franklin Matthews, 84, Waycross formerly of Tifton

Gertrude E. “Trudy” Craft, 77, Ashburn

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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday

Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
A Service of Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC, Tifton, Georgia
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