Tifton Names Arts Director

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Tifton, Georgia

Your Local Digital Newspaper for Tifton and the Greater Tiftarea

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

BRUCE GREEN NEW TIFTON ARTS DIRECTOR

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Tifton Council for the Arts has named Bruce Green, a longtime economic development and tourism official, as the arts council's executive director.

"We look forward to all the visionary things he will do for our organization," the arts council said on social media.

Green most recently served as Urban Redevelopment Agency director for the City Of Tifton. Before that, he was interim manager for the Tifton Downtown Development Authority and Main Street.

Green had previously served as Main Street manager for Tifton during the 1980s, coordinating a successful revitalization program during an eight-year period. That eventually led to Tifton being recognized as one of the Best Small Towns in America.

He then became director of the Downtown Development office with the Georgia Municipal Association in Atlanta. From there, he served as the director of communications, research, and rural development for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs in Atlanta. Green later created a consulting company, Bruce Green & Associates.

Before eventually returning to Tifton, Green served as director of tourism product development with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, where he worked with communities, private corporations, and non-profits across the state to increase investment in and development of new tourism products.

In 2013, the Ga. Department of Economic Development honored Green with the Tom Kilgore Lifetime Achievement Award for exemplifying outstanding lifetime commitment to tourism.

A Valdosta native, Green has a bachelor of science in biology from Valdosta State and did some master's degree work in secondary education. At age 25, he served as a Remerton city councilman in Lowndes County.

WORTH SCHOOL BUS OVERTURNS; MINOR INJURIES REPORTED

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Only minor injuries were reported when a Worth County school bus overturned and landed on its side during wet conditions Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Approximately 20 children were on the school bus when the driver lost control shortly after 7 a.m. on Massey Airport Road near Sylvester. While heading north, the bus apparently skidded on the road and turned over on the driver's side after the bus driver apparently overcorrected, authorities said.

“I would like to thank our local EMA and law enforcement for their rapid response and coordination. We are also grateful for the staff at Phoebe Worth who provided expert, timely care to our students," said Worth County Schools Superintendent Nehemiah Cummings in a statement.

"Our students and parents are also to be commended for their patience and cooperation. We are thankful everyone is safe, and grateful for everyone who helped take care of our students today.”

STATE REP. PIRKLE NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION TIFT COUNTY WILL HAVE NEW GA HOUSE DELEGATION

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

State Rep. Clay Pirkle, R-Ashburn, announced Friday that he will not seek re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives after nine years of service.

Pirkle's decision means that Tift County will be represented by a new delegation in the Ga. House beginning next year. State Rep. Penny Houston, R-Nashville, recently announced that she is also not seeking re-election.

Both Pirkle and Houston represent Tift County: Pirkle's district encompasses Irwin and Turner counties along with portions of Coffee and Tift counties. Houston's district encompasses Berrien County and parts of Tift and Cook counties.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our community as your state representative. I have, however, decided not to seek re-election as state representative of District 169," Pirkle said.

"I have come to realize that public service as a representative of the people is neither a sprint nor a marathon; rather, it is a relay. It is time to pass the baton to someone else to run the race and fight the good fight for our community. I have full confidence that someone will step forward and be an effective voice for us at the Capitol."

Pirkle was elected to the House in 2015 and serves as chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

A farmer at Pirkle Farms in Turner County, Pirkle has worked as a government economist, a commercial banker, and an economics instructor. He has a bachelor's of science in economics from Georgia Tech and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia.

“I am grateful beyond measure to the citizens of House District 169 for allowing me the opportunity to serve you for a season. Many of you encouraged me, some of you challenged me, while others prayed for me. Thank you again for this tremendous honor, and God Bless,” Pirkle said.

ADVANCE VOTING ENDS FRIDAY

FOR PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Early voting ends at 5 p.m. Friday for Georgia's presidential preference primaries. Next Tuesday, March 12, is primary election day.

As of Saturday, a total of 684 Tift countians had already voted in person and 37 absentee ballots by mail had been received, reported Tift County Elections Supervisor Leila E. Dollison.

Advance voting this week is available at the Tift County Board of Elections office on the corner of Fourth Street and Chesnutt Avenue.

If one waits until Election Day on Tuesday to vote, ballots must be cast at a voter's assigned home precinct.

Voters may cast a ballot for president in either the Democratic or Republican primary. Georgia’s open primary system means that voters may participate in the primary election even if they are not a registered member of a political party.

On the Democratic ballot are President Joe Biden; U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn.; and self-help author Marianne Williamson, who has suspended her campaign.

On the GOP ballot are former President Donald Trump; former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; David Stuckenberg, an Air Force Reserve major and Florida businessman; and a list of other candidates who have since dropped out of the race: Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, Doug Burgum, Perry Johnson, and Ryan L. Binkley.

Voters may visit the state's My Voter Page (https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/) to check their registration, sample ballots, and precinct information.

RHYTHM & RIBS FEST A SUCCESS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Another Tifton Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival at Fulwood Park during the weekend was a big success despite the cloudy skies and damp conditions.

As always, the barbecue competition was fierce. In the professional competition, the 319 Q team was the grand champion; the team had also won that honor at a past Rhythm & Ribs competition. The professional reserve champion was Rollin Pit BBQ.

The Backyard BBQ competition – comprised of amateur teams – saw Heavenly Butts capture the grand champion trophy. The Glory Glory to Ol’ Porky team was the reserve champion.

Also in the Backyard competition, Makin Smoke & Drink'n Coke was chosen Best BBQ Sauce; and Butcher & Banker captured both Best Taco and Best Bloody Mary categories.

The 2024 People's Choice Award went to Reu-B-Que.

ABAC PRESENTS! ONE-ACT PLAY: 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series will host “Keep Marching: The Road to the March On Washington” performed by the Mad River Theater Works at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, in ABAC's Howard Auditorium.

“Keep Marching,” a one-act play, brings a collected oral history to life, exploring the historic 1963 March on Washington. Remembered as the day that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous "I Have A Dream" speech in August 1963, the event drew more than 250,000 people and was pivotal in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

At the heart of the play, according to the theater company, is the question of why the event drew such a large crowd without even knowing that King was going to deliver one of the most iconic speeches in modern history?

The play is built upon two threads of storytelling: The historical record of the plans, motivations, fears, and concerns in organizing the march, and the oral histories of those who attended.

For ticket information, call 229-391-4895.

MAYO CLINIC RECOGNIZES FUTURE TIFTON DOCTOR

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Mayo Clinic recently presented otolaryngologist Dr. Dontre’ Douse with the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education Diversity Award.

Douse, who will begin practicing in Tifton with Southwell in August 2025, is receiving residency training in head and neck surgery at the Mayo Clinic’s main campus in Rochester, Minn. A Georgia native, Douse earned his medical degree from the Mercer School of Medicine in Savannah.

“I am humbled by this award and thank the Mayo Clinic for this recognition,” he said. “I look forward to starting my practice in Tifton next year with Southwell and performing procedures at Tift Regional Medical Center.”

The Mayo Clinic recognized Douse for his efforts in promoting diversity within the medical profession. This included serving as an advisor and advocate for diversity in his residency program as well as being a nationally recognized leader in mentorship and advocacy for residents who are historically underrepresented in otolaryngology.

Douse also co-created a 10-week summer research education program for undergraduate students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher who identified as a minority underrepresented in medicine. The students also had to have a financially or educationally disadvantaged background.

'BIG READ' EVENTS INCLUDE CHICKASAW STORYTELLER, READING, STARGAZING

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Chickasaw storyteller Donna Courtney will be visiting Tifton on Wednesday, March 12, as part of the Big Read events this month, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts grant awarded to the Tifton-Tift County Public Library.

Courtney will present a program to the students in the YMCA afterschool care at the Bateman Youth Center at 3:45 p.m. that day and will be featured in a storytelling event, "Lore and Letters," for the public at 6 p.m. at the Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The free "Lore and Letters" event will discuss how to share what we know with future generations, what those stories should look like, and how to choose which ones to pass down. Through this event, participants will learn about the importance of passing stories from generation to generation from a native perspective.

Courtney is a traditional Chickasaw storyteller and an award-winning Chickasaw artist from Oklahoma. Her art form incorporates Southeastern tribal designs in natural media, especially gourds.

Members of the Chickasaw Nation are descendants of Native Americans who settled in south-central Oklahoma in the mid 1800s. Before that, they inhabited what is now Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee in prehistoric times. The Chickasaw culture and heritage have always had roots in nature and the elements.

The NEA Big Read grant is funded by Arts Midwest and local sponsors: Tifton-Tift County Public Library, Tifton Council for the Arts, Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County, the City of Tifton, the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association, the Tifton-Tift County Public Library Foundation, and the Gaskins Forestry Center.

The Big Read program includes encouraging the entire community to read one book, “The Bear,” by Andrew Krivak, or “The Hike,” the children’s companion book. Both are available at the library while supplies last.

Also, a "Stars and Stories" event will be held beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Gaskins Forestry Center in Alapaha. The event will feature book reading and stargazing. It will answer the question: “What does it mean to rely completely on nature for survival?”

Activities include some for children, foraging nature walks, deer-hide tanning, bear biology, arrowhead wrapping, and a presentation by Valdosta State University on astronomy.

The Alapaha event requires registration on the "Tickets" link on Facebook or contact the Tifton-Tift County Public Library at 229-386-7148.

Jenna Williams from Douglas, at center, is the new Ms. ABAC. Pictured from left are fourth runner-up Jordan Hurley, second runner-up Jazzmyn Armstrong, Williams, first runner-up Makayla Huttinger, and third runner-up Kamren Yaughn.

PRESIDENT OF ABAC AMBASSADORS, HONOR SOCIETY CROWNED MS. ABAC

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Jenna Williams, a junior biology major from Douglas, was crowned Ms. ABAC on Thursday.

Williams is president of the ABAC Ambassadors and of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She also serves as the vice president of the Student Government Association, is a member of the Campus Activities Board and the ATOM Club, has served as a summer orientation representative for the Stallion Society, and is in the ABAC honors program.

Makayla Huttinger, a junior from Palmetto, Fla., was first runner-up. The rest of the top five were second runner-up Jazzmyn Armstrong from Collins, third runner-up Kamren Yaughn from Byron, and fourth runner-up Jordan Hurley from Hartford, Ala.

Yaughn was also named Miss Congeniality and was the essay winner. Huttinger won the Interview Award, and Chaney Hogan from Gray was the People’s Choice winner.

The 54th annual pageant drew 20 contestants and was hosted by the ABAC Agripreneurs. Each year, the organization selects a charity to support with a portion of the funds raised at the pageant. The Pregnancy Center of Tiftarea was chosen as this year's recipient.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Milo" is a handsome guy ready to find his forever home. Come visit Milo and see other pets available for adoption between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

TIFT OFFICIALS 'TALKIN' TRASH'

~ MARCH 7, 1968

Local officials on March 7, 1968, said the countywide cleanup program was "going great guns" with enough debris already collected to cover the entire Tift County football stadium two feet deep. More trash and debris were expected to be collected.