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TIFTON TO KICKOFF HOLIDAYS WITH FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, LIVE REINDEER

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A child stares in wonderment at the warm glow of holiday lights on a chilly Tifton evening. Memories are made that last decades.

And for decades, those colorful Christmas lights in Fulwood Park have been a special part of Tifton's holiday tradition. While many cities charge a fee to drive through their light displays, the City of Tifton has always offered it as a gift to citizens.

And this year, the lights will be especially bright as more than 200 string lights, more than 65 new light displays and many more decorations are coming to Fulwood Park.

On Wednesday, the evening before Thanksgiving, Tifton will officially kick off the joyous holiday season with a Fulwood Festival of Lights Celebration from 7-9 p.m. when the park's Christmas lights will be formally lit.

During the community celebration, two live reindeer from Santa's team will visit, and children of any age may sit in a sleigh and get their photos taken with the reindeer. Christmas music and steaming cups of hot chocolate will add to the festive atmosphere.

And then on Thursday, Dec. 5, ice skating returns to Downtown Tifton on Commerce Way between First and Third streets for $10 a person, skates included. The skating rink will be open from 4-8 p.m. Dec. 5, from 4-10 p.m. Dec. 6, and 6-10 p.m. Dec. 7 – which is also Tifton's Hometown Holidays Christmas Celebration.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, the Tifton Christmas Parade begins at 5 p.m., followed by the annual city's tree-lighting ceremony in front of City Hall, with the Hometown Holidays festival underway until 10 p.m.

'MULTIPLE STUDENTS' AFFECTED BY PEPPER SPRAY USED TO BREAK UP FIGHT AT TIFT COUNTY HIGH

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A fight among students Wednesday at Tift County High resulted in a school resource officer using pepper spray to control the students. The school's principal said "multiple students" were affected by the pepper spray.

The altercation occurred during lunch in the school's Commons area. In a note to parents, Principal Jennifer Johnson called the fight "a serious incident."

"A large altercation broke out in the Commons, and due to the number of students that surrounded the situation, the school security officer was forced to use pepper spray in order for law enforcement to establish control," Johnson wrote.

"The school nurses are currently treating multiple students who were affected by the pepper spray with appropriate eye wash procedures. All students involved are receiving the necessary medical attention," the principal said.

"We understand that this incident may be concerning, and we want to assure you that we are taking this matter very seriously."

Johnson said that school administration is investigating the incident, "and we will take appropriate disciplinary action against any students who were involved."

At the Quiz Bowl are, from left, Gloria Beard, TCHS quiz bowl advisor and teacher;

Micah Duggan, third place; Will Shelnutt, second place; Bo Slack, Tiftarea Academy geography advisor and teacher; Hatcher Swanson, first place; and Laura Cutts of the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence.

STUDENTS WIN ANNUAL GEOGRAPHY DECATHLON

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A Tift County High senior on Tuesday won the 12th annual Geography Decathlon, sponsored by the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence.

Hatcher Swanson placed first, with second place going to Will Shelnutt, a Tiftarea Academy 10th-grader; and in third place, Micah Duggan, a Tift County High senior.

For the competition, 20 students from Tift County High School, Tiftarea Academy, Eighth Street Middle School, and the Providence School took a written exam of 50 total questions in 10 geography categories. The 12 students scoring highest on the qualifying exam went on the compete in a quiz-bowl competition.

The Quiz Bowl winners received a monetary scholarship.

The event was held at at the Tifton-Tift County Public Library, aided by a crew of volunteers: Dr. Bret Wagenhorst, Keri Jones, Renata Elad, Joe Knoll, Emmylou Kidder, and S. Hamrah, along with Laura Cutts, executive director of the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence.

TIFT JOBLESS RATE HOLDS AT 2.9%

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The unemployment rate in Tift County during October held steady at 2.9%, according to data released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL).

Tift County’s labor force – the number of people who are employed or are unemployed and seeking employment – grew by 334 to a total of 21,674 during the month, according to GDOL data.

October's unemployment rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 4.9% vs. 4.5%; Worth, 3.5% vs. 3.4%; Irwin, 4.2% vs. 3.8%; Cook, 3.5% vs. 3.2%; Berrien, 5.3% vs. 4.1%; and Ben Hill, 5.3% vs. 5.5%.

Statewide, the October unemployment rate remained the same at 3.6%, said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson. The national jobless rate for October was at 4.1%.

"For the third month in a row, Georgia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6% – a testament to commonsense, pro-business policies that make Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family," Thompson said.

TIFTON HOUSING AUTHORITY PROVIDES 'BASIC NEEDS'

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Nearly 200 families are on a waiting list for the Tifton Housing Authority (THA), Director Shaundra Clark told the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday. 

The Authority has 10 properties in Tifton and two of those sites are in Omega, totaling 337 units, Clark said. About 20% of the units house seniors, she said, and 68 units are for disabled seniors. The largest number on a waiting list is 118 for a one-bedroom unit. 

The average rent is $199 a month, and it is based on income and a variety of different calculations, including local rental rates. Residents pay their own utilities, Clark said. THA also administers 44 units that are Private Based Rental Assistance units. 

“We don’t provide emergency housing,” Clark said. Prospective residents must pass criminal background checks and wait their turns on the waiting list. 

THA activities include senior bingo once a month, Family Fun Day every month, and other fun activities such as mini-train rides for children. A resident newsletter goes out monthly detailing activities, and the THA has an app where information can be sent out to residents. The app is also available to the public as a public relations tool. It was the first app for a housing authority in the country, Clark said. 

The THA is overseen by a seven-member board of commissioners, headed by Chairman Randy Chambers and Vice Chair Larry Mims. Revenue comes from $65,904 each month in rent, and a monthly subsidy from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of roughly $117,000. 

The THA was formed in 1950, and the first buildings, Peterson Apartments, opened in 1952, and “they are still operating today,” Clark said. The most recent buildings were completed in 1980, at Bellview Circle and at Elderly Village.

A capital fund grant provides for improvements. This year’s allocation is $1.157 million, she said. Some big improvements have been made at the property at 325 Old Omega Road, Clark said. “It looks a lot better,” she said.

The THA motto is “Opening Doors – Changing Lives,” Clark said. “That is what we do; we provide housing and basic needs.”

TWO NAMED TO TIFT REGIONAL FOUNDATION BOARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Heather Stripling and Dr. Rodney Tyson were recently appointed to the Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) Foundation’s board of directors.

Stripling, a Tifton native, is a third-generation car dealer. She is one of the family owners of Prince Automotive Group and a daughter of John B. Prince III and Ann Clayton. She is a graduate of Tiftarea Academy and Valdosta State College. She is also a graduate of the National Automobile Dealers Association Dealer Candidate Academy.

Tyson has provided medical care for South Georgia residents for more than 31 years, working as a family medicine doctor, endoscopist, and a hospital medicine physician. He has served on the medical staff of TRMC and Memorial Hospital of Adel (now Southwell Medical).

Tyson has received the Exceptional Physician of the Year award from the TRMC Foundation and has served as rural medical director. Although semi-retired, he still provides peer-to-peer reviews with insurance physicians and cardiac stress testing at Southwell Medical in Adel.

'PINCH THE GRINCH'

AT KIWANIS 5K/FUN RUN

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

“Pinch the Grinch” – the 20th Kiwanis 5K and Fun Run in conjunction with Tifton Hometown Holidays – will be Saturday, Dec. 7.

The event raises money for local children’s programs, promotes physical fitness in the community, and highlights Tifton’s Historic District. In the past 19 years, more than $80,000 has been raised for local youth programs, and more than 1,125 people have participated in the race.

The course starts at 8 a.m. at the corner of Forrest Avenue and W. Fourth Street, the Spurlin/Sertoma baseball fields near the Tifton Fire Station. Participants registered by Dec. 1 are guaranteed a long-sleeved T-shirt; registration includes race bib, lunch at a Kiwanis meeting, medallions to each child participating, and Christmas presents.

The event is organized by the Kiwanis Club of Tifton with the Circle K Club of ABAC, and Key Clubs at Tift County High School and Tiftarea Academy.

For information, contact Tom Shoup at 229-388-2142 or tlshoup.kk58@gmail

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RIBBON CUTTING

Clayton Homes of Tifton

4052 U.S. Highway 82 W., Tifton

Nov. 18

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YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE GREATER TIFTAREA

Saturday, Nov. 23, is National Espresso Day. What’s the difference between espresso and just coffee? It’s in the way the beans are brewed and doesn’t matter what kind of beans are used or how they're roasted. Forcing pressurized water through finely ground coffee beans produces a concentrated brew with a signature delicate foam. The foam, or "crema," contains concentrated sugars and oils from the beans, adding a light sweetness that helps balance the bitterness. In 1884, ​an Italian, Angelo Moriondo, patented the first steam-driven "instantaneous" coffee-making device that controlled the supply of steam and water separately through the coffee.

FRIDAY, NOV. 22

• Sip and Stroll, 4 p.m., Downtown Ocilla
• Pink Friday, all-day downtown sales; beginning 6 p.m.: live music, lawn games, food trucks, Downtown Nashville

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

• Tifton Farmers Market – Holiday Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Tifton Gardens, Downtown Tifton
• Miss Ethel Memorial Cookie Walk, 9 a.m.-Noon, Peace Lutheran Church, Tifton
• ABAC Fillies (women's) Basketball vs. Paine College Lions, Noon, Gressette Gymnasium, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
• ABAC Stallions (men's) Basketball vs. Paine College Lions, 2 p.m., Gressette Gymnasium, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton

SUNDAY, NOV. 24

• Fall Festival, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, Tifton
• Thanksgiving in the Park, free meal for those with hardships, 3 p.m., Fulwood Park, Tifton

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"Sweet Potato" is the ultimate cuddle buddy; she loves her people time and gets along great with other dogs, making her the perfect companion for any family. Come visit Sweet Potato and see 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).