GA PEANUT FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

Sylvester claims the title of “Peanut Capital of the World,” and every October for the past 56 years the Worth County town has hosted the Georgia Peanut Festival .

That's why peanut harvest season in Sylvester is more than just farmers digging up the fruits of their labor. It’s a time of celebration for agriculture, the sector that drives the economic footprint in this rural community. Sylvester is home to the factory that produces Peter Pan peanut butter.

The annual Georgia Peanut Festival begins at 7 p.m. today at T.C Jeffords Park in Sylvester with Farm Family Night , music by Derrick Dove and the Peace Keepers , a carnival , and arts and crafts vendors. The festival continues Saturday with a parade , food, live music , a Kidz Zone and family activities – and, of course, peanuts .

“The festival is a celebration of our farmers , especially our peanut farmers,” said Karen Rackley , director of the Worth County Chamber of Commerce . 

In the annual parade , local peanut farmers are recognized for their contributions to the community, including the awarding of Farmer of the Year and Junior Farmer of the Year honors. On average, between 12,000 and 15,000 people attend the festivities.

According to the Georgia Peanut Commission , 1.79 million tons of peanuts were harvested from 825,000 acres in Georgia in 2017 , accounting for more than 50 percent of peanut production in the United States .

EARLY VOTING IS UNDERWAY: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. MONDAY-FRIDAY

BRYCE JOHNSON SEEKING DISTRICT ATTORNEY POST

Tift Assistant Solicitor General Bryce Johnson announced Thursday that he will seek election as the Tifton Circuit’s next district attorney .

“I have spent my career serving the people of this circuit in every county as a prosecutor ,” Johnson said. “I am dedicated to continuing to serve, and I’m asking the people of the four counties of the Tifton Circuit – Irwin, Tift, Turner and Worth – to allow me to do just that as their D.A. ” 

That election will be held May 19, 2020. 

Johnson , a Worth County native, said he is best qualified to be the circuit’s lead prosecuting attorney because he has made a lifetime commitment of public service and seeking justice .

“We must have a strong prosecutor in our courts and a strong leader in our D.A.’s office be sure the needs and concerns of our community are met,” he said.  

As the elected solicitor general of Worth County and assistant prosecutor in courts in Irwin, Tift and Turner counties, he said he has worked to make the highways and homes of the circuit safer for nearly 15 years. 

“My home has always been and will always be the Tifton Circuit , and I’ve had the privilege of serving and knowing people in every corner of it,” Johnson said. “We live in Tifton but there’s not a place in this circuit that isn’t home to me. True service comes from loving a place and its people and wanting to make it better. I sincerely hope to continue serving South Georgia as D.A. ”

Johnson was first elected as solicitor general of Worth County in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012 . He has been the assistant solicitor general of Tift State Court since 2005 , served as a special assistant district attorney in Irwin, Turner and Worth counties, and previously served as assistant district attorney in the Oconee Judicial Circuit. 

Johnson teaches history and political science at ABAC and has been a member of the Board of Directors for Ruth’s Cottage/Patticake House and Lifehouse Ministries . He is co-host of the Chick-Fil-A Football Friday Night radio show , a former executive board member of the Georgia Association of Solicitors General and has been recognized by the Georgia State Patrol as an honorary trooper for his prosecution work.  

He has served as chairman of the church council and on the board of trustees of First United Methodist Church and is on the Staff Parish Relations Committee . He resides in Tifton with his wife, Erika , and their son, Will .

GA SETS RECORD FOR EMPLOYED RESIDENTS

Georgia set a record again in September for total employed residents , State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday.

 

The record came as Georgia continued to show improvement in other key measures such as initial unemployment claims, labor force and the unemployment rate , according to preliminary numbers. 

 

“ September was another strong month ,” Butler said. “Setting another record for employed residents is especially important because it proves we are not only producing jobs but residents are getting them .”

 

Nationally , the jobless rate dropped 0.2 percentage points in September to 3.5 percent. The nation also grew its labor force , increased the number of employed residents and added more 130,000 jobs. 

 

Georgia’s unemployment rate also fell 0.1 percentage points in September to reach 3.5 percent. A year ago , Georgia’s unemployment rate sat at 3.7 percent. The state’s all-time low of 3.4 percent was set in December 2000 .

 

“We continue to approach the record low unemployment rate,” the commissioner said. “That shows just how strong our economy has been.”

Huge Churchwide Garage Sale!

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 a.m.-Noon

Huge churchwide garage sale includes clothes of all sizes, electronics, furniture, toys, decor, kitchen items and exercise equipment.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church  

293 Mt. Zion Church Road, Chula, Georgia 31733

Dr. Jennifer Mason, SRTC veterinary technology program director, at left; Jim Glass, SRTC president; and Sharon Poitevint, veterinary tech faculty member, pose with vet tech mascots, Sweetie and Tallulah.

SRTC, ST. MATTHEWS UNIVERSITY REACH AGREEMENT ON VETERINARY MEDICINE DOCTORATE PROGRAM

Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) and  St. Matthew’s University, School of Veterinary Medicine  (SMU) on Grand Cayman Island recently finalized an articulation agreement that will allow SRTC’s veterinary technician students to seamlessly transition into a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree program.

As outlined by the agreement, students who choose to transfer from SRTC’s veterinary technology program to St. Matthew’s DVM program will be provided with a smooth curriculum transition minimizing loss of credit and duplication of coursework.

The two colleges drafted the articulation agreement to allow any student who has successfully completed the associate of applied science in veterinary technology at SRTC to transfer into the education program leading to a DVM degree at SMU .

Transfer students must complete all of St. Matthew’s general education requirements that have not been satisfied in the articulation agreement and will only be allowed to transfer if they have earned an overall GPA of 2.7 or higher. Students must also be recommended by a SMU admissions interviewer. 

St. Matthew’s program is particularly appealing to technical college graduates as students are not required to earn a bachelor’s degree before continuing on; therefore, they can spend significantly less time earning their DVM , SRTC said.

SMU also offers a shorter program as compared to most veterinary colleges .  Students can complete their DVM training in three and 1/3 years as opposed to the traditional four-year program. This equates to about six and ½ years of total instruction , including their time at SRTC, as opposed to the average eight-year completion time of a traditional veterinary college . 

TIFT ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT SEVERAL ON SATURDAY

Johnny Spurlin on Wednesday told the Tifton Rotary Club about the Tift County Athletic Hall of Fame, whose newest induction ceremony is Saturday.

“ Tift County athletics has done great over the years, and we decided we wanted to honor some of the former athletes,” he said.

The idea came from Coach Ivey Vickers and her father who wanted to recognize the successes in Tift County. Coach Vickers herself has won a championship in softball, tennis and swimming and is now coaching football. 

“We started a board with nine members, including the TCHS athletic director and principal,” Spurlin said. Each year, he said, “we nominate and elect seven individuals who have done outstanding things as athletes in Tift County High School athletics, two teams, one coach and one meritorious service award.”

A banquet is being held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the high school to recognize this year’s recipients , who are:

To nominate future honorees and read about those inducted, Click Here!

Kyle Kullman of SRTC's Tifton campus receives a $1,000 scholarship from American Welding Society instructor Stephanie Hoffman at the Sunbelt Ag Expo.

TIFTON WELDING STUDENT WINS SCHOLARSHIP AT SUNBELT AG EXPO

During the Sunbelt Ag Expo this week, Kyle Kullmann, a welding student at Southern Regional Technical College's Tifton campus , won a $1,000 scholarship from the American Welding Society (AWS).

AWS held a skills contest using its virtual reality Lincoln 360 welding simulator, with Kullman earning the highest score of the day.

Celebrating its centennial year, the American Welding Society's mission is to advance the science, technology and application of welding , and allied joining and cutting processes worldwide, including brazing, soldering and thermal spraying.

SOLVE MYSTERIOUS HISTORY

OF HALLOWEEN ON OCT. 29

The ghosts and goblins of Halloween will soon make their annual appearance but few people can tell you how it all started and how the event has changed during the centuries.

All these questions will be answered at 7 p.m. Oct. 29, when Dr. Dave Nelson presents “A Treat or a Trick? The Long, Strange History of Halloween” in Howard Auditorium at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College .

Nelson , a professor of history at ABAC Bainbridge , will speak as a part of the ABAC Lecture Series . The public is invited to attend.

Halloween has multicultural origins stretching to Ireland, Britain, Catholic Europe and Mexico . Nelson will discuss Halloween's origins , changes through in the late 20th century , and the isolated instances when it turned into a dangerous night with reports of poisoned candy and razors in candy apples.

THE WINNAHS! The  Colony Bank 2  claimed first place in the  26th Annual Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic recently at  Spring Hill Country Club . The team consisted of  Chris Hammond  ( pictured center, along with Chamber Chairman  Darian Peavy  and Chamber President  Brian Marlowe ) as well as  Pete Boggs ,  Jim Curington , and  Butch Davis. In all, 36 teams participated. .... COULDA DANCED ALL NIGHT: Tifton's  Seniors Enjoying Life Forever (SELF) monthly dance is today ( Friday, Oct.18). Doors open at 6 p.m. at the Leroy Rogers Senior Center with the Fred Hand Band. Bring a friend and a food dish. ... COULDA WALKED ALL DAY: Tifton's Walk to End Alzheimer's is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's track, weather permitting. Approximately $52,000 has been raised thus far by 34 teams and 145 participants. ... A POET & HE SHOWS IT: ABAC' s Poet-in-Resdence Jeff Newberry is having a book launch at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Fulwood Garden Center.

CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE WILL HELP WITH MEDICARE PART D OPTIONS

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott , R-Tifton, says his Tifton and Warner Robins district offices are accepting appointments to answer questions about Medicare Part D options.

Medicare Part D open enrollment runs through Dec. 7, and this is the only time to make changes to a plan.

 

“We encourage anyone already enrolled for Medicare Part D to call either our Tifton office at 229-396-5175 or Warner Robins office at 478-971-1776 for assistance or to schedule a private appointment with a member of our staff," Scott said.

"We are happy to work with you individually to find the prescription drug plan that best fits your needs.”

 

To find out more about Medicare Part D , you may also contact the Medicare offices at 1-800-MEDICARE , visit www.MEDICARE.gov or contact GeorgiaCares at 1-866-552-4464.

YOUR WEEKEND

...at a Glance



FRIDAY, OCT. 18

SATURDAY, OCT. 19

Tifton Grapevine

e-published every Tuesday and Friday

Frank Sayles Jr.

Editor & Publisher

Bonnie Sayles

Managing Editor

A Service of Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC , Tifton, Georgia