A tremendous explosion Thursday afternoon rocked downtown Tifton at the Golden Building, which dates to 1915.

It was part of the movie "White Elephant" with Bruce Willis and Michael Rooker currently being filmed in Tifton.

The film's production crew set up the shot and obtained permission of the building's owners to blow out the front glass.

The fiery explosion was bigger and more impactful than expected, breaking windows in some nearby buildings within a block and shooting debris across Second Street. 

Afterward, Jenna and Justin Turner watched the clean up outside the Golden Building, which they own. They had given permission to the movie crew for an explosion at the building they plan to renovate and develop into an event venue.

"I'm OK now," Jenna Turner said. "It's going to be OK. They're going to replace all the windows, so that's great."

"We thought it was just going to be electrical charges in the window, so it was bigger than that. Nothing is burned. It was much bigger than anticipated, but there's nothing to be overly concerned about," she said.

Junior Gonzalez, owner of nearby Posh Salon in the Roddenberry building, where a complete pane of glass was blown out, was unfazed by the damage.

"I don't mind," he said. "It's really exciting having the movie in town, and they're going to make it right. I'd let them do it all over again if they had to."

A piece of window high above Transitions salon was broken, and a large pane of glass was blown out of Roberts & Co. jewelers. Plywood covered one of the store's windows, as seen in the photo.

The intersection of Second Street and Love Avenue was temporarily closed as workers with the movie crew were in the street, sweeping up loose glass and debris, and hauling it on golf carts to dumpsters.

Producers were bustling from one business to another, reassuring property owners. 

"That's the money shot for the whole movie!" said one worker. "It's going to look good hanging on the wall in the lobby."  

To watch the special effects explosion, visit FUN Channel America's Facebook page here.

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Tiftarea Academy Class of 2021 gather recently for Almost Alumni Day when seniors don the shirt of the college they plan to attend and take a lap through campus as the underclassmen and teachers cheer them on.

Tiftarea Academy holds its senior graduation ceremony today (Friday), and while the graduating class is relatively small, it is quite accomplished.

The Class of 2021 has been offered a total of $1,488,200 – nearly $1.5 million – in earned merit scholarships.

"We are so proud of this class of 28, one of the smallest in recent years, and all they have and will accomplish," said Heather Fletcher, Tiftarea Academy's marketing director.

The Class of 2021's graduation ceremony is at 6 p.m. today at First Baptist Church in Tifton.

Among the TA graduates whose accomplishments and accolades are especially noteworthy is Sarabeth Royal, recently named a Georgia Scholar by the Ga. Department of Education. Through the Georgia Scholar program, the state identifies and honors high school seniors who have achieved excellence in school and community life.

Sarabeth is a superior honor graduate who has been voted both "Miss Tiftarea" and "Best All Around" by her peers. She plans to attend Auburn University in the fall.

High school football spring practice has been underway in recent weeks, and new Blue Devils Coach Noel Dean continues to fill out his coaching staff.

Cody Kater, a high school coach in Michigan, a state where Dean is from, is joining Tift County High as quarterback coach and an offensive assistant. Kater has been an assistant football coach and offensive coordinator, as well as a successful girls varsity basketball coach, at Montague High in Michigan.

As a high school student there, Kater had quarterbacked state title-winning teams. He was poised to begin a position as offensive coordinator at Muskegon (Mich.) High when he found out about the Tift County position.

“This is something that kind of fell in my lap," he told MichiganLive.com.

Kater said he recently visited Tift County High and watched spring practice.

"He came away thoroughly impressed with Tift County football and the level at which it’s played," MichiganLive reported.

“Honestly, I didn’t know that that place existed. You get so hung up in Michigan football and all of that, so I mean I didn’t even know that place existed,” Kater told the Michigan news service.

“And then I go down there and I’m like, ‘Wow, look at the infrastructure, look at the resources, look at the seriousness, look at the conversations these people are having. This is totally different than what I’m used to.’”

Tift County has recorded 12 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past week, the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH) reported Thursday.

During the past two weeks, Tift recorded 26 new confirmed cases. Tift's coronavirus-related deaths are one more during the period, the DPH said.

Tift County's new confirmed cases translate to 64 per 100,000 population, the DPH reported. The county’s positive testing rate during the two-week period is 3.8%.

Since the pandemic began, Tift has reported 3,447 confirmed cases with 97 deaths.

On Thursday, Georgia reported 860 new cases with 17 additional deaths and 78 new hospitalizations. The state has had a total of 888,784 confirmed cases and 17,765 related deaths, the DPH said.

Residents of the 8th Congressional District have chosen 'Quiet Waters' by Mia Luckie of Fitzgerald High School as the People’s Choice in the Congressional Art Competition.

A Fitzgerald High School student has won the People's Choice Award in the Congressional Art Competition for Georgia's 8th District.

Congressman Austin Scott, R-Tifton, announced that "Quiet Waters" by Mia Luckie of Fitzgerald High was chosen by constituents across the 8th Congressional District through Scott's Facebook page with more than 600 "likes."

Mia's artwork will be displayed in Scott's Washington, D.C., office lobby for one year.

First Place in the student art competition went to "Hidden" by Jessica Trinh of Houston County High School. She will receive a trip to Washington to attend the National Congressional Art Competition Awards reception and see her artwork hanging in the U.S. Capitol.

Second Place was "Up, Up, and Away" by Samantha Hillhouse from Perry High School; her artwork will be displayed in Scott's Tifton district office.

Third Place went to "Poem of Peace" by Emily Partain of Houston County High. Her art will be displayed in Scott's Warner Robins district office.

"Lettuce detail" by Rebecca Railey from Berrien High School received an Honorable Mention.

Dalton Yarbrough of Cordele is the 2021 local recipient of the Julian and Jan Hester Memorial Scholarship from South Georgia Banking Co. (SGBC). 

Dalton serves on student council, the journalism/yearbook staff, is a BETA club member, a member of Skills USA, and played on the Crisp County High tennis and football teams.

Dual-enrolled at Georgia Military College and South Georgia Technical, Dalton plans to continue his education at Valdosta State University in the fall. He will receive the $500 scholarship from SGBC and will be considered for additional scholarships from the Community Banking Association (CBA).

Allison Carter of Ashburn is the runner up for the local award and will also be considered for a $1,000 CBA scholarship. A student at Tiftarea Academy and daughter of SGBC employee Joy Carter, Allison plans to attend ABAC in the fall.

Second Harvest of South Georgia is doing another free food distribution at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15, at the Ga. Museum of Agriculture on Whiddon Mill Road in Tifton.

No vehicle will be allowed in line before 4 a.m. Also, no walk-ups are allowed; food will be loaded in the trunks of vehicles.

While supplies last, additional child nutrition boxes will be available for eligible families. For information, call 888-453-4143.

“Wild animals” will greet car riders 10 a.m. to noon May 29 at Northeast Middle School in a Wildlife Safari Tour to kick off the “Tails & Tales” Summer Reading Program at the Tifton-Tift County Public Library. 

Signs at the school will direct drivers to the entrance for this drive-thru tour. Car riders will meet “zoo keepers,” receive goodies from “animals,” and snag a bagged lunch on their way out. The event is free and open to all ages.

The Summer Reading Program will involve tracking summer reading through an online application called Beanstack, said Tina O’Day, young adult services manager at the Tifton library. Anyone may download the app and register now for the Coastal Plain Regional Library System’s summer program, which runs daily through June 18. 

“We’ll have different programs and online story times and ‘take and make’ bags’ or crafts,” O’Day said. “Through the app, they’ll get badges for numbers of books they read, and they can redeem badges for drawings for prizes.”

Beanstack allows users to participate in themed challenges to earn badges and incentives. Beanstack helps educators, librarians, and families read more by creating, promoting, participating in and gaining insights from reading challenges. After downloading, the app prompts users to search for a site. They should enter "Coastal Plain Regional Library System," then enter their email or username.

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Saturday, May 15, is National Armed Forces Day, celebrating all six branches of the U.S. military: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and the newly created Space Force. Started in 1949 by President Harry S Truman, the observance was made official in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy.

"Clyde" is available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter, located on Highway 125 S. To see him and other pets available, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For more information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055  

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