Friday, May 24, 2019
Tifton, Georgia
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RESTORING THE TIFT'S EXTERIOR
PLANS WOULD RETURN THEATRE TO 1937 ART DECO STYLE
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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Plans
are being
drafted
to
re
turn
the
exterior
of the
Tift
Theatre
for the Performing Arts
back to its
original
1937 glory
,
Tifton
Merchants
Association
(TMA) members and guests
were told
Thursday
evening.
Wayne Jones,
Arts Connection director
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
, made the announcement
.
Jones
also
oversees
operations
of the
Tift through
a
contract
between the
City of Tifton
and the
college
.
The
TMA
was
hosting
a
25th anniversary celebration
of the
1993-94 restoration
of the
Tift Theatre
on
Main Street
. Jones told the audience there are
plans being made
to
restore
the
art deco-styled
exterior
to its
original look
with
retro marquees
,
Carrara glass and more efficient
LED lighting to
replicate the
neon lights.
Grants will be
sought for the project. The theatre's
interior has
already been
restored, and the
612 seats were
refurbished last year through a
grant from the
Fox Theatre Institute in
Atlanta and from a
city contribution.
Bruce Green, Tifton's interim economic development director, said the
community will also need to
step up for the
exterior restoration,
similar to the way it did in the
1990s when the
theatre was
renovated and
reopened.
Green also
took the
audience on a
journey through the
past when the
Tift was
first opened as a
movie theatre showing
Bing Crosby's
"Pennies From Heaven" as its
first feature in
1937, moving through
World War II when the
Tift was the
site for
War Bond sales and continuing to the
present day as the theatre is now a
venue for
live performances.
In its
early days, the
Tift was
one of three movie
theaters in
town,
Green said, citing the city's
first theater which opened in
1929 –
The Ritz on
Second Street downtown – and a
theater located in
South Tifton. The
Tift was
Tifton's first
"air-cooled" theater.
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Tift County High School seniors practice this week at Brodie Field for the graduation ceremony scheduled Saturday morning.
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TIFT COUNTY HIGH
TO GRADUATE 458
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The
big day is upon us: On
Saturday morning, the
Class of 2019 at
Tift County High School will
graduate at
Brodie Field.
There are expected to be
458 graduates to take the
stage and receive
diplomas on
Saturday. The event begins at
8:30 a.m., and
family members and
visitors need to be
seated before then.
As in past years, the
ceremony is scheduled
early because of the
heat forecast for later on the day. Saturday's
high temperature is expected to be
96 degrees; at the time of
commencement, the temperature is forecast to be in the
80s.
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Two members of the
TCHS senior class recently received their
associate degrees from
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
before they walk across the stage on
Brodie Field to
get their
high school diplomas.
Coleman Byers and
Emily Eason took advantage of the
dual enrollment program and put in some
hard work to
accomplish the goal. They will both
graduate high school with enough
college credits to be
classified as
college juniors.
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U.S. SENATE OK's $19.1 BILLION DISASTER RELIEF BILL TO HELP
GEORGIA, OTHER STATES
BILL GIVES AID TO PUERTO RICO; NO BORDER FUNDING
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Georgia farmers
devastated by
Hurricane Michael
last fall will
finally
get some
federal help
as the
U.S. Senate
on
Thursday passed
a bipartisan
deal
that would provide more than
$19 billion
in
disaster aid
funding to areas hit by
hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes
and
wildfires
.
The
$19.1 billion disaster relief package
includes
$3 billion
to provide
critical agriculture
disaster
relief
for
farmers
recovering in the wake of
Hurricane Michael
, along with
additional funds
for
communities
in
Southwest Georgia
and
other states
.
“
Georgia farmers
and
millions
of
Americans
have been
hurting for far too long
as they waited for this
desperately needed relief
, and I’m
glad
that the Senate has
now voted
to get it done,” said Sen.
Johnny Isakson
, R-Ga.
Senators
backed the measure,
85-8
, just hours after the agreement was reached. The
House
will have to vote on the bill before it is sent to
President Trump
. House lawmakers have already left for their
recess
, but are
expected
to
pass it quickly
upon their return.
"I totally support it,
"
Trump
said
Thursday
, even though the
bill includes $900 million
in aid for
Puerto Rico
and
excludes
the
$4.5 billion
in
border funding
that
Trump
had
demanded
.
Sen.
David Perdue
, R-Ga.,
helped secure
the
president's support
for the legislation.
“
President Trump
has
broken
through the
gridlock
to get disaster relief across the finish line. Finally,
farmers in Georgia
are
closer
than ever to
getting
the
assistance
they desperately need after
Hurricane Michael
,”
Perdue
said in a press
release
.
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First Lady Melania Trump speaks to the audience at the First Lady's Luncheon in Washington, D.C.
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ABAC STUDENT YOUNGEST FLORAL DESIGNER AT FIRST LADY'S LUNCHEON
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When
Brittany Braddy
developed an interest in
floral design
in eighth grade, she never knew that her love for flowers would lead to a
giant ballroom
in our nation’s capital with the
First Lady
of the United States standing directly in front of her.
Braddy
, a
freshman agricultural education major
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
, was the
youngest
of
30 floral designers
from
across America
selected to
create flower arrangements
for the recent Congressional Club’s 107th annual
First Lady’s Luncheon
in
Washington D.C.
“I filled out an application that Dr.
Frank Flanders
from
ABAC
sent to me,”
Braddy
said. “I don’t know how I got selected but I’m sure glad I was.”
Flanders
said he saw an
invitation to apply
, and his immediate thoughts turned to
Braddy
.
“She was the
runner-up
in our
ABAC Designer of the Year
competition, and I knew of Brittany’s
love
for
floral design
,”
Flanders
said. “It seemed like a
great opportunity
. She’s a wonderful student. I told her it was a
long shot
but she really went for it. She has a lot of
design ability
.”
Braddy
said the lead designer picked a
team
of
30
from the mountain of applications. Led by
professional, renowned florists
, the team
prepared
more than
1,100
boutonnieres,
140
center pieces,
hundreds
of bud vases and
other florals
for
First Lady Melania Trump
,
Second Lady Karen Pence
, and
1,400
guests.
“
Participating
on the
First Lady’s Floral Design Team
was an
invaluable opportunity
,”
Braddy
said. “To me, this is what
‘engaged learning’
is all about, learning by doing, and in this case learning from the
top designers
in the
United States
. To participate in such an
historic event
was
priceless
."
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The ballroom that ABAC student Brittany Braddy helped arrange for the luncheon.
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CERNA NAMED TCHS STUDENT OF YEAR
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Senior
Chole Dela Cerna
was named the
Tifton-Tift
County
Chamber of Commerce
's
Tift County High School Student of the Year
and was honored with a presentation at the high school
Monday
.
Cerna
received a
plaque
sponsored by
Tift Regional Medical Center
and a
$50
check from
Synovus
bank.
Pictured are: front row, from left,
Chloe Dela Cerna; Sharon Dela Cerna;
and TCHS counselor
Juan Guzman
; back row,
Alex Le, Taylor Gray and Chandler Day
from
TRMC;
Perrine
Kemerait; Logan Owens;
and
Curtis Akins
of the
Chamber
.
Dela Cerna
plans to attend
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
in the
fall
.
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MASSEY NAMED TA STUDENT OF YEAR
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Senior
Spence Massey
was named the
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce
's
Tiftarea Academy Student of the Year
and was honored at the Chamber's
monthly membership meeting
last week at the
Ga. Museum of Agriculture
.
Massey
received a
plaque
sponsored by
Tift Regional Health Systems
and a
$50
check from
Synovus
bank
.
Pictured from left are: Synovus's
Lisa Conger
, Chamber Chairman
Darian Peavy, Spence Massey, Heidi Massey
, and
Heather Fletcher and Stacey Bell
, both from
Tiftarea Academy
.
Massey
will attend
Georgia Tech
in the
fall
.
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KEEP TIFT BEAUTIFUL NAMES RESIDENTIAL
BEAUTY SPOT OF THE MONTH
The
Keep Tift Beautiful
(KTB) board is recognizing the yard of
Pat Doss
at
506 14th St.
(pictured above) as the
residential Beauty Spot of the Month
.
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DRUG ABUSE NO. 1 REASON KIDS IN
FOSTER CARE, CASA REP TELLS ROTARY
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Julie Mitcham
, advocacy coordinator with
Coastal Plain Court Appointed Special Advocates
(
CASA
) for children, says
drug abuse
is the
top reason
for the number of
children
going into
foster care
in
Tifton
and the
region
.
“This involves
children
in the
home
with
parents
using
drugs
or being
born
to
someone
on
drugs
,”
Mitcham
told the
Rotary Club of Tifton
on
Wednesday
.
CASA
is a national initiative with
955
programs. All but only two or three counties in
Georgia
are represented by a
CASA
. The local CASA serves the
Tifton Judicial Circuit: Irwin, Tift, Turner and Worth
counties.
Mitcham
said the local agency has
48
volunteers, the most ever. However, in
Tifton
alone, there are close to
200
children in
foster care
.
Volunteers
train more than
five weeks
before being
appointed
by a
judge
to work in and out of the court to
advocate
on
behalf
of a
child
. CASA
volunteers
are
assigned
to
one child
or
sibling group
. Each volunteer usually works about
five hours
a month. They check in with the child to see how he or she is doing.
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'PINK OUT THE PARK' RUN FOR
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
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T
he
Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation
will host the
2nd Annual "Pink Out The Park" 5K and Fun Run
on
Saturday, June 1
, at
Fulwood Park
.
The event
benefits
t
he
Tifton
-based
nonprofit
foundation that works to "
promote breast cancer awareness
through
education
to
detect
and
prevent
breast cancer."
Registration
starts at
7:15 a.m.
at the
Fulwood Park arch
on
Tift Avenue
.
The
5K
starts at
7:45 a.m.
; registration is
$20
by
May 25
and
$25
thereafter. The
Fun Run
starts at
8:10 a.m.
and is
$10
by
May 25
and
$15
later.
Ages
12
and
under
are
$10
, as are
"ghost runners."
Registration forms
and
payment
may be made at
Never the Same Boutique
, 1497 Kennedy Road, Tifton. For
information
, call
229-382-3322.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, MAY 24
- Memorial Day Celebration at Conger LP Gas, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Tifton
- Kickoff to Summer Peanut Palooza, 2 p.m., Georgia Peanut Commission, Tifton
- 67th Annual Florida Folk Festival, (Friday-Sunday), Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, U.S. Highway 41 N., White Springs, Fla.
SATURDAY, MAY 25
- Tift County High School Graduation, 8:30 a.m., Brodie Field, Tifton
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon., Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Rock Scott’s Block Party to benefit Called to Care, 5-9 p.m., Collin’s Event Center, Tifton
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HAVE A YARD SALE?
Inform Thousands of Your Neighbors
through the TIFTON GRAPEVINE!
Place your Yard Sale
in this space!
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Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance
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MAY 15
John Raymond Smith Jr., 71,
Adel
Frances Nadine "Deana" Heath, 65,
Nashville
The Rev. Godfrey Miller O’Rear, 89,
Fitzgerald
Bobby Eugene Sell, 83,
Albany
MAY 16
John Henry Giddens Jr., 71,
Sumner
Kaylea Skipper, 28,
Ocilla
Jane Scott, 85,
Quitman
MAY 17
Hazel Phillips, 82,
Doerun
Eloise Bozeman, 90,
Worth County
James G. “Jim” Brady, 70,
Sylvester
Eugene R. "Splinter" Pitts, 83,
Adel
Joyce L. Vickers, 76,
Adel
Johnny Wayne Watson, 60,
Ray City
Sue Siler, 71,
Fitzgerald
Patsy Singletary Stringer, 74,
Irwinville
Abbie Mae Fletcher, 83,
Atmore, Ala.
MAY 18
Billy Adams, 57,
Fitzgerald
Donnie Deese, 74,
Fitzgerald
Troy Alan Harris, 19,
Sycamore
MAY 19
Carol Jean Meders, 69,
Omega
Mary Lewis Walker, 92,
Tifton
Dorsey Lumpkin, 77,
Ashburn
James D. "Butch" Chatfield, 65,
Ashburn
MAY 20
Fennell Eugene Parks Sr., 67,
Tifton
Thomas Vinson Whittington, 85,
Hartsfield
MAY 21
Annette Beard Murray, 92,
Ashburn
Blayze Asher James Davis, infant,
Sparks
MAY 22
James F. "Sarge" Harris, 86,
Tifton
Arvin Franklin “Spud” Byrd, 84,
Tifton
William Gary Bailey Jr., 64,
Tifton
Terry Anita Eunice Owens, 56,
Tifton
Bettie Dent, 84,
Sparks
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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday
Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
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A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
,
Tifton, Georgia
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