Bruce Willis Films in Tifton

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

Bruce Willis, left, co-star Cody Kearsley and Alexander Kane of Fitzgerald on the set of the recently released film “Breach,” shot in Fitzgerald.

BRUCE WILLIS FILMING NEW MOVIE IN TIFTON

By BONNIE SAYLES & FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Action film star Bruce Willis is shooting his latest action thriller in Tifton – the star's fourth movie made in South Georgia, says Alexander Kane, co-owner of Fitzgerald-based TMG Studios One.

“Film crews are currently filming. One hundred people are in town with the production,” Kane told the Tifton Grapevine.

It is being filmed in downtown Tifton and in Fitzgerald. “We will be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in Tift and Ben Hill counties,” said Kane, a producer and actor. “I only shoot here and bring the films to Fitzgerald because I love my hometown.”

In Tifton, the movie is reportedly being filmed on Commerce Way in the area where food trucks were set up for a downtown event in December. The movie is also expected to use the former Hawk-Eye BBQ restaurant's downtown location.

No details about the title or subject matter has been released about the current film. Earlier this month, Bruce Willis wrapped up filming "Reactor" in Fitzgerald and the Cordele area.

Regarding Willis’ other movies shot in South Georgia, Kane said, “'Breach' and 'American Siege' were filmed 100 percent in Fitzgerald. 'Reactor' was at Lake Blackshear.”

Kane declined to say if Willis is in Tifton at the moment. “I can’t legally confirm when he is here or where he is until after he leaves.” During his past visits to the area, Willis has been spotted dining at Fresco Italiano on Tift Avenue.

“We’ve shot over $13 million dollars’ worth of films in the area since Nov. 1, 2020 – $25 million since November 2018,” Kane said.

He said that his team has at least six more productions on the books for this year.

“I deeply care for Fitzgerald and South Georgia,” said Kane, a Fitzgerald native. “I want to create jobs and opportunities."

A different film crew was in Tifton during late 2019 shooting "The Tiger Rising" starring Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid. That movie was filmed at Tifton’s Town Terrace "Pink Motel" and in Thomasville. Its release date has not yet been set.

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GHSA STATE BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

LADY DEVILS FALL TO NEWTON; BLUE DEVIL BOYS PLAY WEDNESDAY P.M.

The Tift County High Lady Devils lost to Newton High, 50-38, Tuesday night in the first round of the Georgia High School Association state basketball playoffs at TCHS.

The No. 1 seed Lady Devils were behind 30-11 at halftime, and never caught up in time before the final buzzer.

While the Tift County girls season is over, the Blue Devil boys face South Gwinnett High at 6 p.m. Wednesday at TCHS. Tickets are $7 and only 500 are being sold.

The Blue Devils come in as the No. 1 seed; if they win, the playoffs second round is this weekend.

COURT DOCUMENTS ALLEGE MISCONDUCT BY VALDOSTA HIGH COACH RUSH PROPST

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Controversial Valdosta High Football Coach Rush Propst is at the center of another controversy.

Witnesses allege, in recent legal depositions for civil suits brought by former Valdosta Coach Alan Rodemaker and his wife Leah regarding Rodemaker's termination, that Propst aided in discouraging other applicants for the school's football coach position, misused football program money and paid the rent for families of players whom Propst recruited.

Among the witness allegations in the Lowndes County Superior Court documents are that:

Propst allegedly used intermediaries to discourage applicants for the Valdosta High coach's job so that Propst was the only viable candidate left to consider.

Propst allegedly requested that a check from a business for advertising in the school’s stadium be made out to him rather than to the Valdosta Touchdown Club and that the check was subsequently deposited in Propst's personal bank account.

Propst allegedly asked a Touchdown Club member to raise $2,500 a month in cash to pay the rent for the family of player Jake Garcia, who transferred to Valdosta from California to play quarterback. Garcia was later declared ineligible.

Propst also allegedly asked that $850 a month in cash be raised to pay the rent of quarterback Amari Jones, a Class of 2022 prospect who transferred to Valdosta from Atlanta’s Carver High School.

Propst allegedly told a Touchdown Club member that he needed $10,000 to $15,000 in "funny money." A witness said the coach claimed, "I always need to keep at least $10,000 cash right here in my desk drawer."

Reached by a reporter at AL.com on Tuesday, Propst said he had no comment on the allegations.

Valdosta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason told WALB-TV that he’s aware of the deposition and has since started his own investigation.

Propst was dismissed at Colquitt County High in Moultrie in early 2019 after being accused of various ethical violations. He rose to prominence at Hoover High in Alabama, where he won five state championships in nine years before resigning under pressure amid numerous allegations of wrongdoing in 2007, according to news media reports in Alabama.

TIFT RECORDS 37 CASES OF

COVID-19 IN PAST TWO WEEKS

Tift County has seen 37 new cases of COVID-19 during the past two weeks, which is 91 per 100,000 population, the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH) said Tuesday.

Also in the past two weeks, Tift has had a 4.3 percent testing positivity rate, the DPH reported. Since the pandemic began, Tift County has had a total of 3,345 cases and 91 related deaths of its residents, according to the DPH.

Georgia saw 2,337 new cases on Tuesday and 75 related deaths, the DPH said. Overall, the state has has reported 808,416 cases and 14,761 related deaths.

NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED AT NEW COVID VACCINATION SITE IN ALBANY

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The state is now providing four new mass vaccination sites for COVID-19 vaccinations, and no appointment is necessary for eligible Georgians at the new Albany site.

The new Albany location, administered by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS), is at Albany's Georgia Forestry Site, 1150 West Oakridge Drive.

Eligibility is still limited to state residents who are included in Phase 1A+. This encompasses healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, adults aged 65+ and their caregivers, and first responders (law enforcement, fire personnel including volunteer fire departments, dispatchers and 9-1-1 operators).

“In order to increase the number of vaccines distributed, at the Albany site only, we are allowing eligible people to drive up with no appointment necessary,” said GEMA Director Chris Stallings. “If you have an appointment you are guaranteed to receive a vaccine as scheduled, but if you don’t, we will administer vaccines until we run out of each day’s allotment.”

Other new mass vaccination sites have been opened at the Habersham County Fairgrounds in Clarkesville, at the Macon Farmers Market, and at the Delta Air Lines Museum in Hapeville.

As of Tuesday, there have been a total of 1.8 million Georgians vaccinated, says the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH). In Tift County, a total of 15,312 residents have been vaccinated – 9,345 receiving the first dose and 5,967 getting the second dose.

Also, the Veterans Administration's Tifton Outpatient Clinic has begun administering vaccinations of veterans.

"We started here in Tifton on Presidents Day and vaccinated 220 veterans, and we will do the second one on March 13 and will do 50 more veterans that day for 270," said Dr. Donna C. Ammons, the clinic manager.

The Tifton VA Clinic is under the auspices of the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin. Throughout the Vinson Center's regional VA clinics, 6,806 first doses of the vaccine has been given, and 2,385 second doses as of Tuesday, according to VA data.

Paid for by the Tifton Merchants Association. To join, email kmcalpin@tifton.net or call 229-391-3978.

VIDEO: Who will win the "Spice is Right" Nashville Chili Cook-Off this year?

IT WILL BE A HOT TIME IN OL' NASHVILLE THIS SATURDAY

FOR ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Nashville Main Street's Annual Chili Cook-Off is this Saturday, Feb. 27, from 1-4 p.m. For more than a decade, this annual event has been held in February, as one of Main Street’s biggest fundraising events.

Fifteen teams are competing for four trophies in what is being called “The Spice is Right.”

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Nancy Pesce, Nashville Main Street director. “People are really looking forward to getting outside this year.”

The event is spread out even more than in the past to accommodate a little more distance between groups, and venues such as childrens' bounce houses will be wiped down every 30-45 minutes.

The local fire department is working to defend last year's title of the Hottest Chili. Other trophies are for the overall Grand Champion, the Most Creative Booth, and the Best Specialty Chili.

The event will include mechanical bull riding, axe throwing, the Kona Ice Truck, and live entertainment. Tasting tickets are $1 a tasting cup, and a big raffle is offered for $5 a raffle ticket. The prize is a grill package including a Weber grill, a $50 gift card from Gaskins Meats & More, a grill set donated by Food Lion, charcoal and more.

Music will be provided by the Page Brothers Band, and an auction will feature a variety of baked goods and a hotel stay with a bottle of wine. A video promoting the event was compiled by Anthony Pesce of The Mojo Ranch Video Productions.

TIFTONITE NAMED A VSU SCHOLAR

Jana Malone of Tifton, a student at Valdosta State University (VSU), has been selected the Peeples Scholar for 2021, receiving a $1,500 scholarship.

Malone is working toward a master of arts in history degree from VSU. She previously received a bachelor of science in history and government from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in 2018. She currently works as the tutor support professional at ABAC's Tutoring Center.

She was selected by the VSU History Department’s Scholarships & Awards Committee to be awarded the scholarship funded by the Peeples Fund under the VSU Foundation.

Because of the pandemic, VSU is scheduling a virtual awards ceremony in April.

BALDWIN PLAYERS TO FILM MORALITY STORIES

Seven Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College students and an ABAC alumnus have been selected as cast members for the Baldwin Players’ upcoming video performance.

Baldwin Players’ Director Brian Ray, a professor of English and theater, said the cast will be playing characters in a film version of three separate morality stories. The actors will appear in at least two of the stories, and a few of them will appear in all three.

Cast members include Justin Walls, a general studies major with a concentration in engineering from Cordele; Kaylee Myers, an agricultural education major from Dothan, Ala.; Harley Normand, an art major from Tifton; Jaylin Croft, a history and government major from Moultrie; Dontavious Bell, a vocal music major from Tifton; Roderick Baisden, a theatre major from Tifton; and Craig Mark Wells, a 1979 ABAC graduate.

The stories include “Wisdom,” a 15th century morality play in the medieval tradition; “Hansel and Gretel,” an adaptation of the Grimm’s Fairy Tale; and “The Game,” an early 20th century sketch morality interlude.

Preparation will be held through the remainder of February and March. The performance will be filmed the last week of March and available to the public by the end of April.

TIFT COUNTY'S SCHOOL NUTRITION TEAM

HAS 'GONE (PEA)NUTS'

The school nutrition team at Tift County Schools recently received the Georgia Peanut Commission's Peanut Butter Usage Award for providing nearly 250,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in lunches to students who were out of the classroom last year because of the pandemic.

Pictured are the school system's team members who each were presented Georgia peanuts dish towels, spatulas and bags of peanuts. The nutrition program also received a trophy and 123 cases of Georgia peanut butter.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY:

Letters must address local issues only. All letters are subject to editing for brevity, for libelous statements and for egregious language.

Include your name, phone number and address for verification purposes. Email letters to: IHeardIt@tiftongrapevine.com

RURAL REVIVAL IN THE MAKING

TO THE EDITOR: Will the events of the past year, including the pandemic, prove to be the spark that ignites a rural revival? Challenge and adversity lead to change. Necessity is often said to be the mother of invention. We have certainly experienced adversity and challenge over the past year, both of which have forced us to become more resourceful. At the same time, America is dealing with social unrest and seeking to better understand long-standing cultural norms. Some have suggested we are experiencing a cultural revolution.

Regardless of how you feel about the past year, it is time to explore the possibility of a rural revival. Could we be on the cusp of a rural renaissance? I believe a Great Awakening is not only possible, but I submit that it will happen. The endless concentration of the American population to a few densely inhabited metroplexes is not simply undesirable; it’s unsustainable.

While the political, finance and banking, manufacturing, and service industries are well suited to the city, production of food, fiber, and shelter takes place in rural America. When it comes to feeding and clothing Americans, that’s what rural does best. ....

To read the entire letter from Dr. David Bridges, Click Here!

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

This long-haired female calico cat is seeking a forever home and is available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt or see other pets available, 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

'LONG-HAIRED GROUP OF TIFTAREANS'

MAKING A NAME ON MUSIC SCENE

– FEB. 23, 1967

In a dispatch from The Tifton Gazette on Feb. 23, 1967: "A long-haired group of Tiftareans is making a name for itself by singing and swinging its way on the national television scene and into the recording business. The group, known professionally as The Beethoven 4 (actually there are five members) already have one recording released on Tag Records. The song, 'Don't Call on Me,' was written by Joey Hall, the leader of the musical quintet. Members of the group are: Dewayne Lovett of Nashville, Bobby Hill and Hayward Fowler of Tifton, and Danny Smith and Joey Hall of Enigma."