AN EASTER WEEKEND REFLECTION

This weekend is significant for two religions, both Christianity and Judaism. Today, Friday, is both Good Friday, marking Jesus’ crucifixion – a precursor to his resurrection celebrated on Easter Sunday among Christians, and Passover, which begins today – an eight-day observance among Jews celebrating God freeing the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and their exodus from Egypt led by Moses.

Easter and Passover don’t always converge at the same time. However, this weekend’s convergence of the two holy calendars is an appropriate moment to remind us that we are all brothers and sisters on this earth, which transcends any differences in religious beliefs.  

Too often in human history, religion has divided people when it should ultimately bring us together. We should be respectful and tolerant of others’ views. There are many paths in this world to honor God, who is undeniably at work on earth; His handiwork is all around us.

Jesus taught that we should love one another, including our enemies, and that we should take care of each other, even if we disagree. In today’s world we often find divisiveness and an intolerance for opposing views. Too many folks are quick to anger, quick to point fingers at others, quick to resort to both verbal and physical abuse and violence.

At this holy time, let us all pause, take a deep breath, and commit, as Abraham Lincoln said, to following the “better angels of our nature.” We, and the world, will be the better for it.

It’s the talk of Tifton: A large baseball tournament of age 13 and under kids is coming to all eight of the Tift County recreation ballfields Saturday involving more than 400 players and their families.

Tim Petrea, Tift County Recreation Department's assistant director, says that the economic impact of a tournament of 20 teams coming to Tifton is estimated at $340,000. Instead, it is 40 teams, “bigger than the tournament sponsors expected,” so the impact will be double, more than half a million dollars, he says.

“They will be dropping dollars on everything from gas, to time in restaurants, to filling up their coolers with Powerade at Walmart for the ride home,” Petrea says. “We are ready for them."

He says another possible result of this weekend's tournament will be to attract more such tournaments to the E.B. Hamilton Complex if the visitors have a favorable experience in Tifton and spread the word.

The sponsor of Saturday's tourney, South East Championship Tournaments, has teams coming from all over South Georgia and North Florida, including Tallahassee. 

“This is a very big tournament, and there will be a lot of mouths to feed – over 400 baseball players, and that isn’t counting coaches, parents, family, and friends,” says Michele Bassett Cavenaugh, manager of Your Pie restaurant in Tifton.

Petrea estimates that about 50 additional people accompany each team, so that means a total of 600 more people in the area. Some will stay overnight in hotels, he says.

“The restaurants will be swamped; it’s going to be a lot of people.”  

Tift County's positive COVID-19 cases dropped to 10 during the past two weeks from a total of 14, according to data Thursday from the state Department of Public Health (DPH).

The cases represent confirmed and probable results from both PCR and Antigen rapid tests. Tift County’s total positive cases represent 24 cases per 100,000 population, the measure used across the country to compare case rates among communities and states.

Confirmed cases were three, and Tift's testing positivity rate for the period was 4.1%, the DPH reported. No additional deaths have been reported among Tift County residents.

Tift has seen a total of 6,284 cases with 163 related deaths, the DPH said.

On Thursday, the state reported 698 new confirmed and probable cases across Georgia with 35 additional deaths and 51 new related hospitalizations. The state has recorded a total of 1,943,450 confirmed cases and 31,390 related deaths, the DPH said.

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The Arts in Black Festival is back in Tifton on May 6 and 7 at Fulwood Park, the first time since 2019, because of the pandemic.

The oldest festival in Tifton, it is a celebration of African-American heritage and art, and was first held in February 1986 on the J.T. Reddick school campus.

“This year, we’re trying something new,” said Tift County Commissioner Melissa Hughes. “Friday night, we will have Arts under the Stars at Fulwood Park. Starting at 6 p.m., visitors and guests are asked to come out and enjoy live sax music by Harold E. Thomas and DJ G Man.

"We are asking family and friends to bring your chairs and enjoy the music.”

A table competition will provide awards for wackiest, prettiest and most creative table Friday night, Hughes said. Participants should bring their own tables.

The event will continue at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 7, in Fulwood Park with a poetry competition for grades K-12, live entertainment, food and arts and crafts vendors, a kids’ zone, and more, Hughes said. 

With the theme, “Exploring the Past, Enjoying the Present, and Envisioning the Future,” the festival offers folks from different cultural backgrounds the opportunity to experience African American culture and traditions through performances, exhibits, workshops, and foods.

The festival was the brainchild of Leroy Bynum, who was assistant director of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Arts Experiment Station. Bynum brought together local citizens to partner with the college, creating what became known as the Arts in Black Committee.

Area youth are encouraged to participate in the festival-sponsored talent and poetry competition. To sign up for the competitions, contact Clara Gray, 229-386-1552.

The festival sponsors an Artist in Residence at a local school to encourage students' participation in festival activities. A health fair is included as part of the festival activities. Vendors who wish to participate may contact Hughes at 229-326-0241.

Students from Tifton were among those who represented Southern Regional Technical College at the recent Georgia Spring Leadership Conference in Atlanta.

Hosted by Georgia Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) and Georgia National Technology Honor Society (NTHS), the conference was an opportunity for students and advisors to get leadership training while exhibiting their abilities in PBL competitions.

The SRTC-Tifton chapter of NTHS was recognized for having the largest increase in its local membership with an additional 20 members.

PBL student members competed in state-level competitions during the conference. From the SRTC-Tifton chapter, Angelia Stone of Tifton placed first in Marketing Concepts and third in Entrepreneurship Concepts; Fellini Smith of Tifton placed second in Organizational Behavior and Leadership. 

Other SRTC students who placed in competition were from the Bainbridge and Thomasville chapters.

Georgia PBL recognized two SRTC advisors for their exceptional commitment and service to PBL: Business Technology Program Chair Susan Davis, who has served as a PBL advisor for 15 years; and Accounting Program Chair Melody Tawzer, a PBL advisor for 10 years.

State Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, explains to the class how a bill moves in the General Assembly from an idea to becoming a law. At the wall in front of Summers are state Reps. Clay Pirkle, R-Ashburn; and Penny Houston, R-Nashville.

The 2021-2022 "Tomorrow’s Aspiring Leaders: Kids" (T.A.L.K.) class heard from local legislators Tuesday. 

State Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele; and state Reps. Penny Houston, R-Nashville; and Clay Pirkle, R-Ashburn – who all represent Tift County – spoke to the group about topics related to state government.

The T.A.L.K. class is an annual program of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce. 

“We had the opportunity to host a legislative session for them to get updates and learn more about how bills are formed and voted on. They were able to ask questions and talk with our legislators,” said Chamber President and CEO Melody Cowart.

“It’s a privilege to have 50 selected students from Eighth Street Middle School, Northeast Middle School, and Tiftarea Academy that were selected by academics and possess leadership skills to participate in our T.A.L.K program.”

Summers spoke to the group about how bills get passed and the processes they follow through the Legislature. Pirkle tackled the topic of debating and had the students divide into groups to debate an issue. He told the class that it’s important to debate issues so that all sides can have input.

Houston spoke to the class about some of the issues that she and her legislative colleagues have been working on, such as the state budget and legislation to better help Georgians with mental illnesses.

Alice Johnson, who works in Congressman Austin Scott's Tifton office, spoke about legislative processes at the federal level and encouraged the class participants to think about how they can make a difference in their community.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has won the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) state golf championship, the Stallion's fifth consecutive GCAA championship title.

Led by Coach Larry Byrnes, the ABAC golf team will compete in the district championship in Bristol, Tenn., beginning next weekend.

In other local golf news, Sonny Skinner of Tifton's Spring Hill Country Club will be among 312 players vying for the Walter Hagen Cup at the PGA Professional Championship beginning Sunday at Omni Barton Creek in Austin, Texas.

Skinner is one of several Georgians who have earned a spot in the national championship.

The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) Post 13 in Tifton reports that it investigated 38 traffic collisions in March that caused one fatality and 17 injuries in Tift County.

Among 298 traffic citations that troopers issued in Tift County, were 127 for speeding, 74 for seatbelt violations, and seven arrests for driving under the influence.

In the county during the month, troopers also issued 297 warnings, the GSP said. Seven motorists were also cited for child-restraint violations.

Juvenile Court Judge Render M. Heard Jr. delivers the keynote speech at last week's 'Voice For All Children Pinwheel Ceremony.'

A total of 327 pinwheels, representing 327 children who were reported as victims of neglect or child abuse in Tift County during 2021, are spinning on Baldwin Drive.

The Tift County Council on Child Abuse hosted its annual "A Voice For All Children Pinwheel Ceremony" last Friday to bring awareness to abused and neglected children in the county.

Judge Render M. Heard Jr., Juvenile Court judge of the Tifton Judicial Circuit, delivered the keynote address at the event.

The Tift County Child Abuse Council has been holding the ceremony annually since 2002 to mark Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month during April. In 2020, there were 323 reported cases of abuse and neglect involving Tift County children.

Every hour, 600 people are retiring out of the welding field, and only 10-20% of that number are entering the field, local welding instructor Corey Miller told the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday. 

Miller told of a 20-year-old welding technical college graduate whose starting salary is $72,000.

“Businesses are in need of skilled trade labor,” and technical colleges are in an ideal position to train the students to meet the need, he said.

A native of Tift County, Miller is the Rick Perkins Outstanding Teacher of the Year at Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC). “I grew up in a single parent home,” Miller said, seeing his mother work a full-time job and go to nursing school full-time. “It taught me that education is the foundation of success.”

A 1999 graduate of Tift County High School, he never thought he would return to a high school. He teaches welding to Worth County High School sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are dual-enrolled at SRTC.

Miller spent years as an air traffic controller for the Navy and believes that people should never stop learning. “We’ve just got to share our knowledge with others,” he said.

Miller will head to Atlanta to participate as a finalist for the state Rick Perkins award for the most outstanding teacher at a technical college.

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This is Easter Weekend: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday, sometimes referred to as Resurrection Sunday. Good Friday commemorates the death of Jesus on Calvary, the site just outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. Holy Saturday is the last day of Lent and also the last day of Holy Week. Easter is the single most important holy day throughout Christianity. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21.

"Milo," a male pooch, is 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).

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

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