GNAT DROP TO MARK NEW YEAR IN TIFTON

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Tifton Gnat Drop will herald 2024 as "Matt the Gnat" drops at the American Legion Fairgrounds on U.S. Highway 82 at midnight Dec.31/Jan. 1.

The festivities begin at 7 p.m. Sunday and continue until midnight with live entertainment and food vendors.

Begun in December 2018 by Tift County Commissioner Melissa Hughes, the Gnat Drop is Tifton's answer to other cities which drop various items to mark the new year at midnight. The most famous such event is the crystal ball drop in New York City's Times Square.

At this weekend's Tifton event, Pamela Williams, the "undercover comedian," will emcee. DJ's G-Man & TRoy will have everyone up and dancing between sets.

The Northside Baptist Church Praise Band will take the stage at about 7:30 p.m., followed by an official welcome from Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith and Tift County Commission Chairman Tony McBrayer.

The entertainment continues with Kasey King of the Tift County IT Department, Music Solutions, Tift County Commissioner Donnie Hester, and the Mood Doctors.

The Mood Doctors will be jamming with Music Solutions up to the Gnat Drop at midnight.

For information, call 229-326-0241.

The Sylvester mural before it was covered with white paint earlier this week.

SYLVESTER MURAL REMOVED BY BUILDING'S OWNER; RESIDENTS REACT

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Some Sylvester residents reacted with surprise and consternation to see that a mural commissioned by the city on a privately owned building was painted over with white paint a few days ago.

Allison Kilcrease, the artist selected by the City of Sylvester to paint a representation of the city on a 40-foot long building two years ago, posted on social media that she was devastated that the mural was painted over. 

“To say I am shocked and heartbroken is an understatement,” Kilcrease wrote. “I do not understand how I had to discover my largest and most time-consuming and creative project is now completely painted white and blank. GONE.”

The building's new owner, Lisa Davis of the Brokerage Real Estate Agency, said she has purchased three buildings in Sylvester and is committed to bringing new business to town.

“We wanted the building to have its own identity,” she told the Tifton Grapevine on Thursday. “We’ve owned the building three months, and no one has ever mentioned to keep the mural.”

She said visitors to the building had seemed confused and often stopped in and asked if it was a visitor’s center or the Chamber of Commerce. 

Davis said she is involved in the Sylvester community as an ambassador for the Sylvester-Worth County Chamber of Commerce, a member of both the local Kiwanis and the Sylvester Woman’s clubs, and a member of the Beautification Committee of Sylvester’s Downtown Main Street.

The building which had contained the mural is rented to a party store business called “The Party Parlor.” Another Sylvester building Davis purchased will be a 14,000-square-foot multi-market called Kelly’s Street Market to open in February. A third building will house a business called “The Ruckus.”

Davis said she has handled 99 real estate transactions in the past, with 49 of them in Worth County. 

Kilcrease, the mural artist, is a local art teacher. She spent a year painting the mural, which depicted various aspects of Sylvester, especially emphasizing the peanut’s influence.

“It’s been a year of dedication to this wall between working full-time as a local art teacher, and being a wife and mom to my family with many sports and extracurricular activities,” she posted upon the mural's completion in October 2022.

“I am beyond grateful for the encouragement, love, and opportunities the City of Sylvester has given me. Thank you for trusting me to create this for our town.” 

Karen Rackley, president and CEO of the Sylvester-Worth County Chamber of Commerce, addressed the heated comments on social media, saying that the Chamber “is here to help all our small businesses. We do not pick and choose.

“While we understand that emotions get involved in any situation, we hope that everyone will keep our small businesses and community in mind before making derogatory comments towards any person, artist, or business in our community. We are here to promote, maintain, and enhance. No one is perfect," she said.

“Remember, new businesses thinking about coming into our community read and take our comments to heart and wonder if they will be welcomed here. Kindness, forgiveness, and shop local should be our motto,” Rackley said.

JOBLESS RATE DROPS IN AREA COUNTIES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The unemployment rate declined during November in all Tiftarea counties, according to data released Thursday by the Ga. Department of Labor (GDOL).

Tift County's jobless rate fell to 2.4% in November, down from 3.0% in October. 

Tift County’s labor force – the number of people who are employed or are unemployed and seeking employment – was at 21,372 during the month, which is a 2% increase, according to GDOL data.

November's jobless rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 3.7% vs. 4.2%; Worth, 3.0% vs. 3.4%; Irwin, 3.4% vs. 3.9%; Cook, 2.9% vs. 3.4%; Berrien, 3.5% vs. 4.0%; and Ben Hill, 3.8% vs. 4.2%.

Statewide, November's unemployment rate remained steady at 3.4%, unchanged from a revised 3.4% for the third consecutive month. The unemployment rate was three-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate, the GDOL reported.

"This holiday season, the greatest gift we can give Georgians is a future filled with opportunity," said Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson. "With record-high job numbers, a thriving economy that stands among the nation's best, and a workforce eager to embrace new opportunities, Georgia is poised to enter the new year with hope and boundless possibilities for all."

Source: Facebook

MORNING OF THE SURGERY: The Golden and Jordan families of Tifton prayed together just before the kidney surgeries on Dec. 5. Kelly Golden and Josh Jordan embrace before the donor surgery begins.

A LIFESAVING BOND: TIFTON WOMAN DONATES KIDNEY

TO TIFTON MAN SHE DIDN'T KNOW BEFOREHAND

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

A new bond has been created between a Tifton woman and a Tifton man who did not know each other before, but now share a livesaving story about a kidney transplant.

“This is a story of God’s love shining through people,” Lisa Jordan said.

Lisa's husband Josh desperately needed a kidney transplant. After family members were excluded from being a match, the family reached out on social media.

Kelly Golden "answered God’s tug on her heart to start the process," Lisa said.

“Josh would be a hard match, per the transplant center, due to previous leukemia, chemotherapy, and current dialysis,” Lisa said. “Kelly was a perfect match, and the first one to complete the testing.”

Kelly and Lisa had been in band together years ago in Tift County High School. Their children ran together in cross country and two other children were friends and swim team partners, so the women kept in touch through the years, but Kelly had never met Lisa's husband Josh.

Kelly saw Lisa’s post in May noting that the donor must have an O blood type. 

“I always knew my blood type from giving blood,” Kelly told the Tifton Grapevine. “I texted her right away that I’d be a potential donor if it worked out. It’s ironic that I saw it, because I’m not on Facebook much.”

Kelly said she was already an organ donor on her driver’s license. Liver and kidneys are the only things that may be donated while the donor is living. 

“I’m glad to share mine; I don’t need two,” she said.

Every step of the way, Kelly Golden prayed about it. She said if God didn’t want it to happen, she asked Him to take it away. 

The transplant surgery was scheduled Dec. 5 in Atlanta. Before they went into the hospital together at 5:15 a.m., Kelly and Josh had only met twice. The two families shared a prayer that morning before the surgeries. Kelly’s procedure started first while Josh waited a few hours. Kelly stayed two nights in the hospital, he stayed three, then he had to remain in the area for check ups for two weeks. 

Josh Jordan’s health issues began in 1997 with a diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia or CML. A bone-marrow transplant and then a stem-cell transplant, donated by his brother, bought him some time. One of the side effects of the transplant, however, is damage to the kidneys or liver, a health professional told Jordan and his wife Lisa. 

The kidney issues started in 2006 and 2007, Josh told the Tifton Grapevine. His kidney function gradually declined for a number of years; then about two years ago, it accelerated. In October 2022, during a visit to Emory University Hospital, he was found to be a candidate for a kidney transplant. 

Lisa and Kelly decided to name the donated kidney “Speedy Bean.” A lifelong runner, Kelly and her husband, Richard Golden, ran the greenways in Atlanta the last night before surgery. Lisa jokingly told Josh: “You’re going to have to start running marathons since you have a running kidney.” 

She said Kelly was not doing this for any recognition for herself. She didn’t want anyone to know about it until everything worked out.

“We asked her why she was doing this,” Lisa said. She replied, “I’m a child of God, and I don’t need two kidneys.”

Lisa said Kelly had never had major surgery before. 

“We are grateful to be celebrating Christmas at home after having our Christmas miracle,” Lisa said. “'Speedy Bean' is doing well in Josh, and we cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, love, prayers, support, prayers, and friendships.” 

TIFTON TRASH PICKUP FOLLOWING HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Ryland Environmental, which handles garbage collection for the City of Tifton, will be closed on Monday, New Year's Day.

All routes will run a day behind because of the holiday.

Garbage collection cans must be placed by the road no later than 7 a.m. on pickup days.

For questions concerning trash pickup, call 229-382-4411.

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COVID-19 data released from the 

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of Dec. 27:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 7,153 ....................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 181

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 23 ....................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 58

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 142 

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,419,713

GEORGIA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - Past week: 4,739

TOTAL GA DEATHS: 36,005 ..................................................... GA DEATHS - Past week: 35 

YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE TIFTAREA

The evening of Sunday, Dec. 31, is New Year's Eve, the last day of the year. With the implementation of the Gregorian calendar on Oct. 4, 1582, Pope Gregory XIII decreed that each year would officially begin on January 1 instead of April 1, as had been the custom under the old lunar calendar. The decision was influenced by the ancient feast celebrating the Roman god Janus, the god of transitions, passageways, and beginnings. The Gregorian calendar is a modified version of the Julian calendar introduced by Roman Emperor Julius Caesar around 44 B.C.

SATURDAY, DEC. 30

• Orange Bowl football game: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida State Seminoles, 4 p.m., ESPN TV

SUNDAY, DEC. 31

• Tifton Gnat Drop, 7 p.m.-Midnight, American Legion Fairgrounds, Tifton

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"Rex" is a lovable canine with a heart as big as his playful spirit. Come meet this good boy and visit 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).