This home in Ocilla was one of approximately five in the city that was damaged by falling trees, Ocilla Police said.

STORM SPARES TIFT, WALLOPS LOWNDES

SOME TIFTAREA CITIES, COUNTIES REPORT DAMAGE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

As several local cities and counties are still recovering from damages and power outages resulting from Hurricane Idalia, primarily in the greater Valdosta area, Tifton and Tift County came through the storm relatively unscathed.

"The city did not receive as much damage or flooding as our friends in neighboring counties," said Tifton City Manager Emily Beeman.

"We were extremely fortunate to experience only minor wind damages and downed trees. The City of Tifton partnered with Tift County EMA to run a fully operational, experienced, and responsive EOC (emergency operations center). Many debris, tree, and road blockages were cleared before the end of the day yesterday," Beeman said Thursday. 

Joey Fowler, Tift County emergency management director, told the Tifton Grapevine that "we were very blessed throughout this event. We have not received any reports of damaged property. We did have trees and lines down all over the county.

"All public safety agencies, city-county combined, answered just under 100 calls for service. That includes law enforcement, fire, EMS, and public works," Fowler said.

Some other areas were not as fortunate. Nashville in Berrien County not only has numerous trees down but also damage to several roofs and businesses.

The Ocilla Police Department said several trees were cleared from roads and police found five houses with trees on them. There were no reported injuries. Irwin County officials said county road crews removed more than 40 trees from county roadways.

But the hardest hit area in Georgia was in Valdosta and Lowndes County. The storm reached wind speeds of nearly 70 mph, damaged numerous homes, toppled scores of trees, and claimed one life. A man died from a falling tree while trying to help cut and clear another tree off Bemiss Road, authorities said. Another person was seriously injured in the incident.

Gov. Brian P. Kemp is scheduled to visit Valdosta later today to assess the storm damage.

Meanwhile, many residents across South Georgia are still struggling with power outages. Georgia Power officials said Thursday afternoon that 95% of customers in the greater Tiftarea should have power restored by 10 p.m. today, and 95% of Valdosta area customers can expect power restored by 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

Nearly 18,000 customers were still without power in Lowndes County Thursday night.

Georgia Power said damage from the hurricane was extensive, resulting in more than 300 broken power poles and 1,100 spans of downed wire, roughly more than 40 miles of power lines across its system.

As of late Thursday, Georgia Power said it had restored power to nearly 200,000 customers. Georgia Power’s restoration team includes crews from sister-operating companies, Alabama Power and Mississippi Power.

Colquitt EMC also is working to restore power throughout its service area.

Photo by Bonnie Sayles

Salvation Army volunteers load a truck with supplies in Tifton on Thursday for today's convoy to Valdosta: (from left) Maj. Jason Smith of Savannah; Lt. Juan Reyes of Marietta; Sgt. Austin Sturdivant of Macon; and Sebastian Arroqui of Dalton. 

SALVATION ARMY GATHERS IN TIFTON TO PLAN VALDOSTA AID

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Salvation Army representatives from all over Georgia converged in Tifton on Thursday to plan their approach to deliver food and resources to those affected by Hurricane Idalia in Valdosta.

At 9 a.m. today, the group’s convoy of trucks, trailers, and SUVs will line up in formation and leave Tifton. They will be visiting locations all over Lowndes County determined by Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency as most in need of food boxes and services, said Lanita Lloyd, emergency disaster services director for Salvation Army of Georgia. 

They will be joining with Georgia Southern Baptist Association churches, providing not just food boxes and snacks, but also cleaning supplies, tarps, personal hygiene kits, water bottles, gloves, and ice.

“We’re a faith-based organization, so we will offer emotional and spiritual care,” Lloyd said. “Tifton was the closest place to get into and plan. Lowndes County officials were asking people to stay off the roads."

She said that “25 people from Salvation Armies all over the state” are heading to Valdosta – “from as far as Elberton, Savannah, Columbus, and Toccoa. We really want to provide a service to make a difference.”

For those who wish to help, monetary donations are the best way, Lloyd said, so the organization can buy what they find is most needed as they visit neighborhoods affected by the storm.

Donations may be made by texting Storm to 51555, by calling 1-800-Sal-Army, or by visiting give.helpsalvationarmy.org

FRANKLY SPEAKING

LESSONS LEARNED LONG AGO ON A FOOTBALL FIELD

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The earthy scent of grass, mud, and sweat filled the air under the bright, unforgiving lights of the football stadium. I stood there, my helmet under my arm, motionless, partly in shock after the playoff game, our first loss following an undefeated regular season.

A cheerleader grabbed my arm. “It’s OK,” she said looking up earnestly.

I didn’t feel OK. I felt as cold as the chilly late November evening.

That was more than a half century ago. Winning a football game seemed the most important thing in the world then. Losing was unthinkable; our team had made winning a habit.

But sometimes, losing can be a good teacher. It can teach you humility. It can remind you of what’s really important. And a loss can make the wins all the more sweeter.

I have often said that playing high school football taught me a lot about myself and gave me a solid foundation for life. I wasn’t a gifted athlete; I only made the team because I prepared myself, got in shape, and wanted it more than about 25 other guys who went out for a spot on the team and were cut.

This was in a large, inner city school in a metropolitan area of Virginia. In the early 1970s, our schools had been integrated only a few years, and there was still some suspicion between the races on campus. But not within our football team. In 1971, our team was almost exactly half black and white. We became brothers. We worked together for a common goal. We respected one another, and we became friends.

Much of that was because of our head coach, a tough, former professional football player with an Italian heritage.  He might berate you on the practice field for some transgression, all the while lobbing expletives in Italian, but back in the locker room and around the school he would throw an arm around your shoulders and be your biggest supporter. 

He demanded much from us and treated us all alike. We played hard and tried not to let him down. We didn’t realize at the time that he was teaching us to be our best and to not let ourselves down.

There is a lot of emphasis on winning in our society – and my high school teams won many more games than we lost – but it is not the games we won that matter most to me. They are less important than the lessons I learned on the practice field and in the locker room long ago:

When any group or organization has a clear focus and its members work together, much can be accomplished; when you trust and respect those around you, that trust and respect is often reciprocated; when you take time to really listen to others, you tend to make better decisions; when you refuse to give up and keep trudging forward, you find you are capable of more than you realized.

And ultimately, there are many more definitions of winning that a mere score on a stadium’s scoreboard.

NEW PEANUT VARIETY

DEVELOPED IN TIFTON

A 'GAME CHANGER'

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Peanut Research Foundation is heralding the new TifCB7 peanut variety as a "game changer" for peanut sustainability and farm profitability.

The new peanut variety was developed by a team led by Tifton researchers.

TifCB7 is a result of the Peanut Research Foundation’s $6 million 10-year Peanut Genome Initiative and is the first variety released as a direct result of what is called "groundbreaking research."

“In 10 short years, the Peanut Research Foundation’s peanut genome research has delivered significant science that is already producing real-world results that hold great promise for lower cost of production and improved sustainability,” said Executive Director Steve Brown. “It is incredible to witness firsthand the role breeding and genetics serve in sustainable peanut production.”

Researchers believe TifCB7 will have a huge impact on peanut sustainability because of its extremely high level of resistance to late leaf-spot disease, which should greatly reduce the need for fungicide sprays and decrease trips across the field for growers.

TifCB7 also yields and grades well and is expected to improve profitability.

The new variety is a joint release from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and the University of Georgia. Dr. Corly Holbrook of USDA-ARS in Tifton, and Dr. Peggy Ozias-Akins and Ye "Juliet" Chu, both of the UGA Tifton campus, were the lead research team overseeing TifCB7's development, but many scientists contributed to it during years of research. 

In addition to the University of Georgia, among those involved were scientists from Auburn, the University of Florida, Texas A&M University, and North Carolina State University.

TifCB7 is currently being grown by Donald Chase, seed producer and vice chairman of the American Peanut Council, on his family farm in Olgethorpe. During a field day last week, Chase invited the peanut community to his farm for a special viewing of the 15-acre seed increase field.

Leaders from all segments of the peanut community, from growers and shellers to manufacturers, came out in anticipation and support of the new variety. TifCB7 will be in the seed increase stage for at least a couple of years before becoming generally available.

“The new TifCB7 peanut variety is the beneficiary of a long and cooperative effort between the research community and the Peanut Research Foundation, and we are excited it’s being supported by so many people in the industry,” said Chase. “We look forward to continued advancements in sustainability and disease resistance due to the results of the Peanut Genome Initiative.”

Chase plans to harvest the trial TifCB7 in October.

ABAC FOUNDATION BOARD GETS NEW CHAIR

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Jaclyn Dixon Ford has been named chair of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Foundation's Board of Trustees.

Ford has served on the ABAC Foundation Board since 2015. She attended ABAC before going on to the University of Georgia. Her father, Steve Dixon, received the 2023 Master Agriculturalist Award from the ABAC Alumni Association.

“It’s an exciting time to welcome new students and welcome back returning students to this great institution. ABAC is a special place. Coming from rural South Georgia, I’m very aware of how vital ABAC is to our area," she said. "I look forward to working with the ABAC Foundation Board of Trustees and Dr. Brundage to continue to make ABAC an outstanding destination for our students.”

Ford is vice president and chief operating officer of Dixon Gin Co. and serves as the company director of commodities marketing. She is involved in production agriculture with her family in Berrien County, where they grow cotton, peanuts, corn, cattle, and pecans. 

Gov. Brian P. Kemp in 2019 appointed Ford to the Georgia Economic Development Board. She was formerly appointed by the U.S. agriculture secretary to the Georgia Farm Service Agency State Committee, serving from 2011-2017.

She also serves on the regional advisory board for Synovus, the Georgia Agribusiness Council Board, the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodities Committee for Cotton, the South Georgia Medical Center – Berrien Campus Authority, is a delegate for the National Cotton Council, and the 2019 Emerging Leaders Class of the National Cotton Council.

Ford earned a bachelor of science degree in agriculture from UGA and is a graduate of Leadership Georgia. She and her husband, Jake, have two children and reside in Alapaha. Her son Jake was a dual enrollment student at ABAC.

TIFT CLASS OF 1998 DONATES TO EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Tift County High School Class of 1998 celebrated its 25th reunion Aug. 25-26 in Tifton at the Blue Devils football game.

The class was the final group to graduate from the current Eighth Street Middle School building. Their class theme was “Farewell to 8th Street."

To commemorate their graduation anniversary, the Class of '98 donated $1,998 to the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence, which supports the academic achievement of Tift County teachers and students. Laura Cutts, foundation executive director, accepted the check.

The class ended its celebration with a banquet at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture, where they reflected on memories, celebrated successes, and honored classmates who had died.

POTENTIAL VOLUNTEERS ATTEND TIFTON RECRUITMENT FAIR

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

In the photo above, Visitors to the Volunteer Recruitment Fair at Leroy Rogers Center on Thursday afternoon visit with members of the GFWC Tifton Woman's Club: from left, Genie McCook (standing), Gail Merlin, and Debbie Thompson.

Ten local organizations explained their respective purposes to potential volunteers. The event was sponsored by Coastal Plain CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocates, as a way for volunteers to research organizations that serve a variety of needs in the community.

The Woman's Club is a service organization that meets monthly and conducts service activities in the community.

AG MUSEUM GALLERY TO FEATURE BRENDA SUTTON ROSE WRITINGS, PAINTINGS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

An exhibit opening Sept. 9 in the Gallery of ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture weaves writings of rural living with oil paintings of the South, both by the same artist/author.

“Brenda Sutton Rose: The Southern Series” features the artistry and storytelling of the Tifton resident.

“This exhibition will tell a nostalgic story of rural Georgia living,” said Museum Curator Polly Huff. “Brenda Sutton Rose is a uniquely and multi-talented Tifton treasure. I am thrilled to curate and celebrate both her incredible artistic talent as an oil painter, but also her writing, the two woven together like the fibers of a warm and familiar vintage coverlet.”

The exhibit opens at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, with a Georgia-grown reception hosted by ABAC’s Chef Jay Johnson featuring locally sourced treats depicted in some of the paintings and stories.

At 6 p.m., Rose will give an informal gallery talk. Afterward, Rose and Huff will lead guided gallery tours until 7:30 p.m.

“To honor the stories told, we worked with local frame master Mike Ellis, who built custom frames for this exhibition out of reclaimed old barnwood,” Huff said. “This exhibit has been 18 years in the making, and I am thrilled to be the first museum curator to have access to both avenues of Brenda’s work for this one-woman show."

Many of the excerpts in this exhibit have been published as short stories, and many explore historic events in the Tiftarea, Huff said. 

“After 18 years of intensive and dedicated self-learning, of following my heart while inside my art studio, a paintbrush in my hand,” said Rose, “my intention as a mature artist is to create something deep and soulful, something that sweeps the viewer from within and pulls them into the colors, and ultimately, into the story.”

One of the paintings tells the story of baptisms at Whiddon Mill Pond in the 1940s. Rose worked with the pastor of Mt. Zion Church, who provided the church’s baptism records from 1947.

The exhibit will remain on display through Dec. 15.

TIFT COUNTY FARMER ELECTED VP OF GEORGIA CONSERVATION DISTRICTS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Georgia Association of Conservation Districts (GACD) elected Brian Ponder of Tift County as vice president at a recent annual meeting.

As vice president, Ponder will assist with leading GACD as it works with federal and state partners of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and with 40 Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Districts in promoting natural resources conservation.

Ponder is a fourth-generation Tift County farmer who lives on the original farm that his great-grandfather began in 1884, which originally had 96 acres.

"The farm has been in the family for 138 years, and the Ponders still find something to do every year to try and make it more productive while taking care of it," GACD representatives said.

"He and his family farm – now 3,000 acres of peanuts, cotton, corn, watermelons, pecans and pine timber – embodies a 'commitment to conservation,' including reduction of water usage and erosion control through strip tillage."

Ponder has been a district supervisor for 21 years for the Middle South Georgia Soil & Water Conservation District and has served as Group 3 vice president for GACD.

He has been Conservationist of the Year in Tift County, Tift County's Farmer of the Year, ABAC Alumnus of the Year, and served on the Conservation Tillage Alliance. This year, he was awarded GACD's Conservationist of the Year and the National Association of Conservation Districts' Friend of Conservation Award.

STATE AG COMMISSIONER MEETS WITH PECAN GROWERS ABOUT STORM

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

State Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper (at center in dark green shirt) met with pecan growers in Lenox on Thursday to discuss the effects of Hurricane Idalia and the damage to this year's pecan crop as well as long-term damage to the trees.

Growers from Cook and Berrien counties were in attendance. Up to 50% of some pecan crops may have been lost, according to some estimates. Harper, an Ocilla native, pledged to work with federal partners regarding assistance to local growers. 

MOBILIZE RECOVERY BUS TOUR TO VISIT TIFTAREA CITIES

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A convoy of behavioral health-care groups is launching a statewide bus tour for National Recovery Month.

At a recent press conference, the Ga. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities said it is partnering with the Georgia Council for Recovery and the Clinton Foundation for a 48-stop bus tour aiming to raise awareness for the 800,000 Georgians in long-term recovery from addiction.

“This bus tour is for them and to celebrate them and their families,” said Commissioner Kevin Tanner. “It is an honor to stand with the Georgia recovery community and their families, support these programs and to provide funding to address this important medical issue.”

The Mobilize Recovery Across Georgia bus tour will visit the Tiftarea:

Sept. 6 – 1 p.m., Nashville Community Center; 2:30 p.m., Colquitt County Courthouse, Moultrie; and 6 p.m., Fulwood Park, Tifton.

Sept. 7 – 9 a.m., 220 E. Monroe Ave., Ashburn; and 11 a.m., Sylvester Train Depot, downtown Sylvester.

The tour will then travel through Middle Georgia.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, drug overdose deaths in the state increased 62% between 2019-2021, partly because of opioid overdose deaths.

PLOUGH GALLERY OPENING COLLAGE EXHIBIT

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Plough Gallery, 216 W. 8th St., will present an exhibit, “Collage Dropout,” featuring the collage work of Antonio Bond from Austin, Texas.

The opening reception, including an artist talk, will be 5-7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 2. 

The exhibit will be on display through Nov. 11. Another offering at the gallery, “TinType Portraits,” by River City Tintype Portraits of Louisville, Ky., will allow folks to schedule tintype portrait sessions Sept. 15-16.

To Subscribe, Click Here!

Your free subscription allows you to receive our MidWeek and Weekender editions in your in-box, along with occasional Sponsored Editions.

Your subscription is free because of the support of local advertisers.

Please support the businesses and organizations who make this possible.

To Contact Us, Call 478-227-7126

COVID-19 data released from the 

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of Aug. 30:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 7,081 ....................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 179

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 40 ....................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 181

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 443 

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,387,562

GEORGIA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - Past week: 10,301

TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,579 ..................................................... GA DEATHS - Past week: 24 

YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE TIFTAREA

Saturday, Sept. 2, is International Bacon Day – everybody's favorite breakfast meat. Salted pork was first served in China thousands of years ago. Curing pork later spread throughout the Roman Empire. The term bacon or "bacoun" comes from Middle English, with French and German dialect elements to it. The National Pork Board claims Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto as "Father of the American Pork Industry." de Soto brought 13 pigs with him to the New World in 1539, and his herd grew to 700 within three years.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 1

• Tift County High Blue Devils football vs. Colquitt County High Packers, 7:30 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton
• Tiftarea Academy Panthers football vs. Central Fellowship Christian Academy Lancers, 7:30 p.m., Panther Pit, Chula

SATURDAY, SEPT. 2

• Tifton Recovery Fest, Noon-3 p.m., Fulwood Park, Tifton
• Miss Georgia Sweet Potato Pageant, 2 p.m., Irwin County High School Theatre, Ocilla
• "Collage Dropout" exhibit opening reception, 5-7 p.m., Plough Gallery, Tifton

ADVERTISE

YOUR

YARD SALE HERE!

TO ADVERTISE YOUR

RESIDENTIAL YARD SALE,

CONTACT US at 

yardsales@tiftongrapevine.com 

or 478-227-7126

Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance

"Woody," a friendly boy, is ready to become part of a new family. Come see Woody and 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).