CITY OPENS NEW RECYCLING CENTER

LOCATED AT RYLAND ENVIRONMENTAL TIFTON OFFICE

Tifton city residents now have another drop-off site for recycling.

Ryland Environmental, which handles the the city's solid waste disposal, says it has opened a recycling collection center at its new offices located at 1810 Eastman Drive behind the Walmart Supercenter in Tifton.

At Tifton City Council's August meeting recently, John Nail of Ryland said that his firm has a compactor on site and will haul recyclable materials collected to Columbus for recycling.

City Manager Pete Pyrzenski said there will be no additional costs to city residents for the drop-off service. "The material will be taken to a full-fledged recycling center," the city manager said.

“We’re not changing the (Ryland) contract,” noted Mayor Julie B. Smith. “Recycling is still available."

In April, Tifton halted curbside recycling pickup because of the closure of a nearby center for handling recyclable materials. Those materials now must be hauled to Columbus or Tallahassee, which officials said made curbside recycling pickup more expensive.

In the interim, the city told residents they could take recyclables to the Tift County recycling center on Pecan Street, which all city and county residents help pay for.

Vice Mayor Jack Folk noted that the new Ryland recycling site is for city residents only.

City Solid Waste Director Ricky Hobby said that Ryland has another compactor available “if this thing grows. It’s a starting point to see where we’re going to move forward with collection."

Mayor Smith said the recycling center is “a good start. We know it will be recycled and not taken to the landfill.” Councilman Josh Reynolds agreed, adding, “We get 100% true recycling."

'DECADE THE HALLS’ AT

HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

It will soon be time for "Tinsel in Tifton."

Continuing the celebration of Tifton ’s sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, this year’s theme for the City of Tifton’s Hometown Holidays Christmas Celebration is “Tinsel in Tifton – Decade the Halls."

The festival’s organizers said the city is "building on the past for a better future. We will keep some of the classics, but adding our new twists and experiences.

"The Christmas Parade is always a big hit, so this year's theme is 'Decade the Halls,' celebrating 150 years of Tifton. Pick a decade from the past or plan the future. We have been busy little elves planning one of the biggest holiday celebrations in South Georgia."

Awards are always given to parade participants who best represent the year’s holiday theme.

Hometown Holidays will be on Saturday, Dec. 3, and not only includes the parade but a downtown holiday festival with music, food, vendors, rides, and many activities for the young and the young at heart.

Vendor and parade applications will be available beginning Oct. 1.

At Coastal Plain CASA's award presentation are, from left, Julie Mitcham, advocacy coordinator; Jennifer King, Georgia CASA director; Kristin Morrison, Coastal Plain CASA executive director; Kristi Gilley, advocacy coordinator; and Nicolle Morris, CASA volunteer.

COASTAL PLAIN CASA RECEIVES STATEWIDE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Coastal Plain CASA, serving Irwin, Tift, Turner and Worth counties, received the 2022 Innovative Program Award of Excellence from Georgia CASA at a recent state conference in Atlanta.

The award acknowledges CASA programs that demonstrate success in exceeding expectations in several areas such as: Volunteer recruitment, retention and training, collaborative efforts with Partners and stakeholders, advocacy efforts and supports, funding, community engagement, strategic vision and growth planning, meeting and exceeding adherence to CASA standards, and active participation in the statewide CASA network.

CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, is a national and state association that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children in foster care. CASA are volunteers from the community who complete specialized training. There are 44 affiliate CASA programs in Georgia that empower community volunteers to advocate for abused or neglected children.

CASA volunteers provide compassionate, one-on-one attention, offering children in foster care the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

Volunteers and supporters are needed for Coastal Plain CASA to serve children in foster care within Irwin, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties. 

To contact Coastal Plain CASA, Click Here or call 229-386-9765. For information about CASA in Georgia, visit the website or call 404-874-2888 or 800-251-4012.

GA FARM BUREAU NAMES TWO UGA- TIFTON STUDENTS AS AMBASSADORS

University of Georgia Tifton students Bailey Rayfield and Kylie Whitworth have been named 2022 Georgia Farm Bureau brand ambassadors.

They will spend the next few months working and collaborating with the Georgia Farm Bureau to inform the public on what the Farm Bureau does and what it represents.

PECAN CROP NEEDS MORE SUNSHINE, UGA SPECIALIST SAYS

Staff Reports

Georgia’s pecan crop is on time this year but enough sunshine is required during the critical weeks ahead to ensure the best crop, according to a recent report from UGA Extension’s pecan specialist.

In his report, Dr. Lenny Wells of the University of Georgia Pecan Team, said there have been good growing conditions this year for pecans with the exception of a scab outbreak in July.

"Growers have done a fine job of protecting the nuts from scab throughout the rainy periods. Industry forecasts currently have Georgia estimated at about 130 million pounds, but as we have learned in years past, just because we can see the finish line doesn’t mean we’ve crossed it,” Wells said.

Wells, who is based on the UGA Tifton campus, said the state’s crop was in a similar position last year and cloudy weather in the fall affected the pecan kernel-filling stage.

This year, "we had good solar radiation up through shell hardening of most mid-season harvest varieties” but for the past couple of weeks there has been much "cloudy weather over much of the pecan-producing region of the state,” Wells said.

However, he anticipates a normal kernel-filling period through Sept. 15 for mid-season harvest varieties of pecans. 

"Kernel filling is an extremely energy-demanding process. Even under optimum conditions, pecan trees can be somewhat depleted of energy during the carbohydrate manufacturing process by which the kernels are filled,” Wells said. 

"However, when one of the two key ingredients (soil moisture and sunlight) is missing there is often not enough energy to finish out this process. The heavier the crop load on the tree, the more demanding the process."

Wells said the good news is that there is still time for this year’s crop: “If we can get some clear, sunny days over the next few weeks and accumulate some better solar radiation levels, it will help to fill the crop out and leave the trees in better condition for next year.

TIFT’S BEAUTY SPOT OF MONTH

The Keep Tift Beautiful board has named the home of Tyler Riddle at 2607 Murray Ave. in Tifton as September’s Beauty Spot of the Month. Riddle has done all of his own landscaping and takes pride in cultivating Georgia native plants, Keep Tift Beautiful said.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

La Calentana

114 Magnolia Drive, Tifton

Aug. 3

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Donatello at Savor the Flavor

224 Main St. S., Tifton

July 29

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

“Catnip,” an inquisitive male cat, is among the pets available for adoption today at the, Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt Catnip or other pets, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

TIFTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO BE TUITION FREE

~AUG. 31,1906

An announcement was made on Aug. 31, 1906, that when school begins in September that year, the "tuition will be entirely free" for the first time in the history of the Tifton Public School System. About 450 students were expected at the beginning of the school year.