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MATT THE GNAT TO WELCOME 2025

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Matt the Gnat will drop at midnight New Year's Eve once again to welcome Tift County into the new year. The annual Gnat Drop is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday and wrap up by 1 a.m, Wednesday, Jan. 1, at the American Legion Fairgrounds in Tifton.

Tift County Commissioner Melissa Hughes said she and her committee are dedicated to creating a unique experience for the community. The event's lineup includes DJ's G-Man and TRoy, singer Felicia Howard, and Spanish DJ Fiestas Perronas Entertainment.

J.J. Jackson will keep the crowd moving with line dancing, and Tift Commissioner Donnie Hester will take the stage to sing “Mustang Sally.”

Zone 3, a gifted young male music group, will headline the event, Hughes said.

New this year is a Kid's Zone featuring games, bounce houses, face painting, and more. A "Cruise into 2025" drive-in car show from 4-8 p.m. will showcase a collection of vintage and unique cars from Valdosta and Tifton.

Food vendors will also be available throughout the evening.

For information, contact Hughes at 229-326-0241.

JOBLESS RATE IMPROVES IN TIFT

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The unemployment rate in Tift County improved during November, dropping to 2.7%, according to data released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL).

Tift County’s labor force – the number of people who are employed or are unemployed and seeking employment – grew by 64 to a total of 21,731 during the month, according to GDOL data.

November's unemployment rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 4.7% vs. 4.9%; Worth, 3.6% vs. 3.4%; Irwin, 3.7% vs. 4.2%; Cook, 3.2% vs. 3.5%; Berrien, 4.1% vs. 5.3%; and Ben Hill, 4.9% vs. 5.4%.

Georgia's November unemployment rate was 3.7%, up one tenth from a revised 3.6% in October. The unemployment rate was five-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate, according to the GDOL.

Statewide, jobs were down by 2,000 during the month and up by 45,900 over the previous year to 4,983,400.

POLAR BEAR PLUNGE TO RAISE 'COLD CASH' FOR NONPROFITS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Tiftarea YMCA's annual Polar Bear Plunge at 11 a.m. New Year's Day will not only offer a cold soaking to participants but also will generate some cold, hard cash for local nonprofits and the YMCA.

Ten volunteers are competitively raising money for local charities and are scheduled to plunge into the cold waters at the Tiftarea YMCA pool on Jan. 1.

The "Polar Bear plunger" who raises the most money gets to donate 100% to the nonprofit he/she has chosen. All other plungers give 50% of their raised funds to their nonprofit – as long they actually take the plunge – with the YMCA receiving the other half.

The volunteer Polar Bear plungers and the charities for which they are raising funds are:

• David Pollack (YMCA Pickleball for Senior Adults)

• Bret Wagenhorst (Meals on Wheels)

• Davis Garner (The Dream Center)

• Mac Sims (Simply Grace Rescue)

• Russ Flowers (Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence))

• DeAnn Benefield (Hospice of Tift County)

• Sam Skaggs (Alzheimer’s Association)

• Cruz Chambless (Called to Care)

• Tom Shoup (Kiwanis Club of Tifton)

• Josh Pridemore (Tift County Commission on Children & Youth)

To donate to the "Polar Bear" and nonprofit of your choice, Click Here!

ABAC PROFESSOR'S RECENT POEM NOMINATED FOR LITERARY AWARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Dr. Jeff Newberry, a writing and communication professor at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize for a poem in his most recent book of poetry, ‘How to Talk about the Dead.”

The book, dedicated to Newberry’s parents, delves into the complexities of the past and draws inspiration from their childhoods as sharecroppers' kids in rural South Georgia. Through the poems, Newberry explores the ways in which we remember, honor, and preserve our personal histories.

The poem "The Dead Father Speaks" has been nominated for the prize by editors at Redhawk Publications, who published his book.

The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is an honored literary project, including highest honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry, and essays have been represented in this annual collection, which is one of the last surviving literary co-ops from the 1960s and '70s.

"'The Dead Father Speaks’ was an inversion of what I usually do,” Newberry said. “So much of ‘How to Talk about the Dead’ is about trying to connect with the past. I wanted to write from the other side, so to speak, and I asked myself what a father might say to a son who spends his life constantly seeking a lost dad. ‘The Dead Father Speaks’ is an attempt at empathy. I wanted to try to understand the gruff, distant fathers that I often write about. I think that the poem gave me a new understanding of my dad.”

Award winners are expected to be named in early 2025.

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YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE GREATER TIFTAREA

Today, Friday, Dec. 27, is National Fruitcake Day, celebrating that chewy, rich amalgam of dried fruit, nuts, and sugar. The dense, sweet, and textured treat is generally served around the holidays. Fruitcakes have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. The earliest documented recipe for fruitcake was in ancient Rome and consisted of ingredients such as pomegranate seeds, raisins, and pine nuts, mixed with barley. Folks seem to either love fruitcake or hate it; it is a most misunderstood dessert.

FRIDAY, DEC. 27

• Tift County High Blue Devils Basketball Christmas Classic: Cook High vs. Fitzgerald High, 5:30 p.m.; Irwin County High vs. Crisp County High, 7 p.m.; and Tift County High vs. Lanier County High, 8:30 p.m.; all games at Tift County High School

SATURDAY, DEC. 28

• Tift County High Blue Devils Basketball Christmas Classic: Crisp County High vs. Lanier County High, 4 p.m.; Fitzgerald High vs. Irwin County High, 5:30 p.m.; Tift County High Lady Devils vs. Appling High girls, 7 p.m.; Tift County High Blue Devils vs. Cook County High, 8:30 p.m.; all games at Tift County High School

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"Winter" was abandoned and left to wander alone, searching for warmth and kindness in a world that had turned cold. This beautiful girl has soulful eyes that tell a story of heartbreak — but also of hope. Despite her past, she has much love to give and is ready to trust again. Come visit her and see other pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, open between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For additional information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).

We are Grateful for Our Many Friends and Customers Throughout the Tiftarea Who Allow Us to Serve Your Real Estate Needs. We Appreciate You, and Wish You and Your Family a Warm and Joyous Holiday Season.