A White Christmas?

Share This Edition

Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024

Tifton, Georgia

Your Local Digital Newspaper for Tifton and the Greater Tiftarea

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

To Subscribe, Click Here

WHITE CHRISTMAS? NOT IN TIFTAREA

Are you dreaming of a White Christmas in the Tiftarea? Well, keep dreaming – there's absolutely no chance of that occurring this year. But a White Christmas in our area is not entirely impossible.

Just think back to 1989.

Although it wasn't technically a "White Christmas" that year, it was the closest Tifton has ever come to one. The "Great Southeast U.S. Snowstorm of 1989" brought snow from Florida to the Carolinas a few days before Christmas, including light snow to Tifton and even to Valdosta.

While Tifton saw only a light snowfall on the evening of Dec. 22, 1989, Brunswick and the Golden Isles received 4 to 5 inches of snow on Dec. 23, and Savannah got 3.6 inches. Even Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Fla., saw snow.

December 1989 was an exceptionally cold one in the region. On Christmas Eve that year, Tifton dropped to a frigid 12 degrees.

Of course, snow has fallen in Tifton since then. On Jan. 29, 2014, Tifton got a dusting of snow; and on Jan. 3, 2018, some areas of Tifton got up to a half-inch of snow that morning.

According to records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the most snow recorded in Tifton was on Feb. 11, 1934, when 2.2 inches of snow fell. The second-highest snowfall recorded in Tifton was 1.1 inches on Feb. 13, 1958.

And the forecast for Christmas Day 2024? Expect a sunny day with a high temperature of 64 degrees and a low of 47 with a chance of showers in the evening, the National Weather Service says.

So much for a White Christmas – bah, humbug!

But even without the snow, have yourself a Merry Little Christmas – and keep dreaming!

Frank Sayles Jr., a third-generation newspaperman, is editor and publisher of the Tifton Grapevine, and is a former publisher and editor of daily newspapers across the Southeast. He is a former management trainer for Thomson Newspapers, now Thomson Reuters, and has conducted seminars across the U.S. and Canada.

PUBLICATION NAMES ABAC BEST RESIDENCE HALLS IN GEORGIA

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

More than 1,300 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College students call ABAC Place and ABAC Lakeside their home away from home. According to University Magazine, those students have chosen the top-ranked residence halls in Georgia.

The magazine’s recent ranking of the Best College Dorms in Georgia for 2025 ranked ABAC the best among 30 colleges and universities in the state. The article cited the facilities’ spacious rooms, study lounges, and recreational areas, stating that ABAC “sets the standard for excellent student housing in Georgia and making it a top choice for prospective students.”

Trent Hester, ABAC’s director of residence life and housing, said living on campus offers obvious advantages.

“It allows our students to immerse themselves in the college experience fully,” he said. “We are proud to offer a residential environment that fosters personal, professional, and academic growth. We actively seek opportunities to engage students with our facilities through events. We take pride in seeing our students flourish while living on campus.”

The article also noted the priority ABAC places on student safety and the dorms’ convenient access to campus resources.

ABAC Place opened in 2004 and consists primarily of four-bedroom, two-bath units with some two and three-bedroom units. Each resident has a private bedroom and furnished living room. It is also connected to the John Hunt Town Hall Center, which contains administrative offices, recreational facilities, a group meeting space, a computer lab, and a convenience store.

ABAC Lakeside, opened in 2007, is reserved for first-year students and features two-bedroom units. It also offers a 24-hour computer lab, game rooms, lounges, laundry, and outdoor grills.

“This recognizes that we are succeeding in our mission to make ABAC a destination college,” said ABAC President Tracy Brundage. “Our students enjoy all the amenities our residence halls offer and are comfortable and safe on campus, which plays a significant role in their success. Offering that at an affordable price is another reason our enrollment continues to grow.”

HOLIDAY SCHEDULES SET FOR TRASH PICKUP, LANDFILL

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Ryland Environmental has set its holiday schedule for garbage pickup within the City of Tifton.

Those customers whose trash is usually picked up on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday will see a delay of one day this week. So, Wednesday's normal pickup will be on Thursday, Thursday's on Friday, and Friday's regular pickup on Saturday.

The holiday hours have also been set for the Tifton-Tift County Landfill.

The landfill be open Wednesday, Christmas Eve, from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., and will be closed Christmas Day.

On Dec. 31, the landfill will be open 7 a.m.-5 p.m., and from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on New Year's Day.

COTTON COMMISSION DONATES SOCKS TO HOMELESS SHELTERS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

On behalf of Georgia’s 3,500 cotton farming families, the Georgia Cotton Commission recently donated 12,000 pairs of socks to various homeless shelters across the state, including Brother Charlie’s in Tifton.

“We hope the donation of socks throughout the state will bless many people who are in need, especially during this Christmas season. It brings me great joy for us as cotton farmers to be able to give back to our communities in a positive way,” said Georgia Cotton Commission Chairman Bart Davis, a cotton farmer from Colquitt County.

Besides in Tifton, farmers also delivered socks to Open Arms in Albany, Lowndes Associated Ministries to People in Valdosta, Voluntary Action Center in Calhoun, The Sparrow’s Nest in Athens, The Hope Center of Toccoa, the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia in Macon, the Atlanta Mission, the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority in Augusta, Open Hearts Community Mission in Statesboro, and the Homeless Authority in Savannah.

The Georgia Cotton Commission is a producer-funded organization begun in 1965 and located in Perry.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CATS OF THE WEEK

These ginger kitties are playful and looking for forever homes. Visit them and 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).

TIFT COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK

PLANNED ON SOUTHWELL FARM

~ DEC. 23, 1964

Plans for an industrial park in Tift County were announced on Dec. 23, 1964. The park was planned to be on a 294-acre tract, which was the farm of Byron L. Southwell, who was head of the Department of Animal Husbandry at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station and chairman of the Tift County Hospital Board.